Would You Float or Stretch in a Hollow Sphere at Earth's Center?

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Firepanda
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SUMMARY

In a hollow sphere located at the center of the Earth, a person would experience zero gravitational pull, allowing them to float freely without any stretching or compression. This phenomenon occurs because the gravitational forces from the mass of the sphere outside the hollow cancel each other out at any point within the hollow. The discussion confirms that the net gravitational force is zero throughout the hollow space, as established by Newton's Shell Theorem, which states that a spherically symmetric shell exerts no net gravitational force on objects located within it.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's Shell Theorem
  • Basic knowledge of gravitational forces and their properties
  • Familiarity with concepts of equilibrium in physics
  • Knowledge of gravitational field strength variations
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Newton's Shell Theorem in detail
  • Explore gravitational field strength calculations in spherical coordinates
  • Research the implications of gravitational forces in non-uniform mass distributions
  • Examine the effects of external gravitational forces on objects in a hollow sphere
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, educators, and anyone interested in gravitational theory and its applications in theoretical scenarios involving hollow structures.

  • #31
Doc Al said:
You should be able to find it discussed in most classical mechanics books (or calculus books, for that matter). Here's a site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_theorem"

Thank you very much
 
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