The value of 'g' is ________-

The correct answer is 9.8 m/s2.

Key Points

• The value of 'g' is 9.8 m/s2
• \(g =-\frac{G M}{r^{2}} \hat{r}\)
  • Where.
  • g = gravitational acceleration
  • G = gravitational constant
  • M = mass of the field source
  • r = distance between the two point-like masses
  • \(\hat{r}\) =unit vector directed from the field source to the smaller sample mass
• Thus value of g on earth is,
  • \(g = {6.67 * 10^{-11} *6 *10^{24} \over {6.4*10^{6} *6.4*10^{6} }}\)
  • g = \(9.8 m/s^{2}\)

Additional Information

• Gravitational acceleration is the acceleration of an object in free fall within a vacuum.
  • This is the steady gain in speed caused exclusively by the force of gravitational attraction. Wikipedia
  • g is referred to as the acceleration of gravity.
  • Its value is \(9.8 m/s^{2}\) on Earth.
    • That is to say, the acceleration of gravity on the surface of the earth at sea level is \(9.8 m/s^{2}\)
  • When discussing the acceleration of gravity, it was mentioned that the value of g is dependent upon location.
  • There are slight variations in the value of g about the earth's surface.
    • These variations result from the varying density of the geologic structures below each specific surface location.