Variation of Gravity: Why Your Weight Changes Even When You Don't
Imagine you step on a weighing scale at sea level in Mumbai, then carry that same scale to the top of Mount Everest. The scale would show a smaller number — you'd weigh less. But you haven't lost any mass. What changed?
The force pulling you down — gravity — is not constant everywhere on Earth. It varies. That's what we mean by variation of gravity.
The Core Idea
Gravity is the force with which the Earth pulls objects toward its centre. The strength of this pull depends on two things: the mass of the Earth and your distance from its centre. Since the Earth is not a perfect sphere and it spins, that distance and the effective pull change from place to place.
The acceleration due to gravity, denoted by g, is approximately 9.8m/s2 at sea level. But that's an average. The actual value can be slightly higher or lower depending on where you are.
Why Does Gravity Vary? Three Main Reasons
1. Altitude (Height Above Sea Level)
This is the most intuitive one. As you go higher, you move farther from the Earth's centre. Gravity follows an inverse-square law: double the distance, and the force becomes one-fourth.
The formula for g at a height h above the Earth's surface (where R is Earth's radius, about 6400 km) is:
gh=(R+h)2GM
For small heights compared to R, we can approximate:
gh≈g(1−R2h)
This means for every kilometre you go up, g decreases by roughly 0.003m/s2. That's why at the top of a tall mountain, you weigh about 0.5% less than at sea level.
2. Depth (Going Underground)
What happens if you go down a mine or into the Earth's crust? Intuition might say gravity increases because you're closer to the centre. But the opposite happens.
Inside the Earth, the mass above you pulls upward, partially cancelling the pull from below. For a uniform Earth, only the mass inside the sphere of radius r (your distance from the centre) contributes to gravity at that point.
gd=r2GM′
Where M′ is the mass of the sphere of radius r. If Earth had uniform density ρ, then M′=34πr3ρ, giving:
gd=34πGρr
This means gravity decreases linearly as you go deeper. At the centre of the Earth, g=0 — you'd be weightless, pulled equally in all directions.
This linear decrease assumes uniform density. The real Earth has a dense iron core, so the actual variation is more complicated — gravity actually increases slightly as you go down through the crust before eventually decreasing.
3. Rotation of the Earth (Latitude Effect)
The Earth spins once every 24 hours. This rotation creates a centrifugal force that acts outward, away from the axis of rotation. This force effectively reduces the weight you feel.
The effect is strongest at the equator (where the rotational speed is highest, about 1670 km/h) and zero at the poles (where you're on the axis of rotation).
The effective g at latitude ϕ is:
geff=g−ω2Rcos2ϕ
Where ω is Earth's angular speed (7.3×10−5rad/s) and R is Earth's radius.
At the equator (ϕ=0∘), the reduction is about 0.034m/s2 — roughly 0.35% of g.
| Location | Approximate g (m/s²) | Why? |
|----------|------------------------|------|
| Equator (sea level) | 9.78 | Fastest rotation + bulging equator |
| 45° latitude | 9.81 | Intermediate |
| North Pole | 9.83 | No rotation effect + closer to centre |
4. Shape of the Earth (Oblateness)
The Earth is not a perfect sphere. Because of its rotation, it bulges at the equator and flattens at the poles. The equatorial radius is about 21 km larger than the polar radius.
This means:
- At the poles, you're closer to the Earth's centre → stronger gravity
- At the equator, you're farther from the centre → weaker gravity …