Geod quiz 2 - Sheet1 Flashcards
who formulated the law of gravitational attraction
newton (3 generations after galileo determined the magnitude of gravitational acceleration)
what was a strong argument for newton’s laws of motion?
the law of gravitational attraction
what are kelper’s laws?
1) each planet moves in an ellipse with the sun at one focus 2) the line connect a planet and the sun sweeps out equal areas in equal times 3) for all planets, the orbital period squared divided by the semimajor axis cubed is constant
what is the definition of gravity?
the force exerted on a mass (due to the combination of: 1) the gravitational attraction of the earth and 2) the rotation of the earth (2 componenets))
what are the two components of the rotation of the earth?
the centrifugal acceleration due to rotation with angular velocity and the existence of an equitorial buldge that results from the balance between self-gravitation and rotation
what kind of reference frame is there at the surface of the earth?
a rotating one
what is the earth’s center (with reference to a reference frame?)
the non-rotating intertial reference frame
what is the relationship between centrifugal acceleration and earth’s axis of rotation
they are normal to each other (perp)
what is the equation of motion inthe rotating reference frame?
mg = f(force of gravity) - m * omega times (omega * R)
how many parts foes apparent gravitational acceleration have?
2 (9.8 m/s^2 AND centrigugal acceleration ( omega * (omega * R)
what is the equation for apparent gravitational acceleration?
g (subscript a) = g - omega ^2 * R * cos^2 lamda
who first discovered g (gravitational acceleration)
galileo
what are gravimeters used for
to measure gravity anomalies
who discovered G and what is it
6.67 X 10 ^-11, Cavendish
what does G suggest
because this 6.67 number is much higher than the density of rocks at earth’s surface, earth’s density must increase with depth
what happened as a result of the discovery of G?
many measurements of g (lowercase) were calculated at different locations on earth (demonstrating the variation of g at different latitudes)
what is the difference between gravitational acceleration, centrifugal acceleration, and apparent gravitational acceleration
gravitational A = constant g (9.8 m/s^2), centrifugal A = outward effect of the earth’s rotation (like forces parallel to the equator), apparent gravitational A = gravity that includes the impact of earth’s rotation
what is the formula for gravitational PE
U = pgz (density * g * depth)
do higher or lower elevations have higer GPE?
higher
what is the mean potential energy of the lithosphere (U) used for?
1) defining the tectonic reference state of the Earth and 2) constraining the ambient state of stress in the plates