FACTOID # 48: Many Americans live alone - the United States leads the world in one person households.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Gravimetric

Gravimetry is the measurement of gravitational force, weight, or density. Gravimetry may be used when either the magnitude of gravitational force or the properties of matter are of interest.


Units of measurement

Gravity is usually measured in units of acceleration. In the SI system of units, the standard unit of acceleration is 1 metre per second squared (abbreviated as m/s2). Other units include the Galileo (abbreviated Gal), which equals 1 centimetre per second squared, and the g, equal to 9.806 65 m/s2. The value of the g approximately equals the acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface (although the actual acceleration varies fractionally from place to place).


How gravity is measured

An instrument used to measure gravity is known as a gravimeter. Since general relativity regards the effects of gravity as indistinguishable from the effects of acceleration, gravimeters may be regarded as special purpose accelerometers. Many weighing scales may be regarded as simple gravimeters. In one common form, a spring is used to counteract the force of gravity pulling on an object. Using Hooke's law, the change in length of the spring may be calibrated to the force required to balance the gravitational pull. The resulting measurement may be made in units of force (such as the Newton), but is more commonly made in units of mass (such as the pound or kilogram) by correcting for the Earth's gravitational acceleration (g).


More sophisticated gravimeters are used when precise measurements are needed. When measuring the Earth's gravitational field, measurements are made to the precision of microGals to find density variations in the rocks making up the Earth. Several types of gravimeters exist for making these measurements, including some that are essentially refined versions of the spring scale described above. These measurements are used to define gravity anomalies.


Besides precision, also stability is an important property of a gravimeter, as it allows the monitoring of gravity changes. These changes can be the result of mass displacements inside the Earth, or of vertical movements of the Earth's crust on which measurements are being made: remember that gravity decreases 0.3 mGal for every metre of height. The study of gravity changes belongs to geodynamics.


See also


  Results from FactBites:
 
Gravimetric Analysis free essay, term paper and book report (335 words)
Experiment 9: Gravimetric Analysis (Analysis of Chloride by gravimetery) Aim: The aim of this practical is to introduce gravimetric analysis and allow you to compare and contrast two methods of analysis.
Principles: Gravimetric analysis, by definition, includes all methods of analysis in which the final stage of the analysis involves weighing.
The quantitative determination of a substance by precipitation followed by isolation and weighing of the precipitate is called Gravimetric analysis Theodore W. Richards (1868 - 1928) and his graduate students at Harvard developed or refined many of the techniques of gravimetric analysis of silver and......
Testing Equipment and Procedures (4176 words)
Gravimetric sampling is the primary means for compliance sampling performed by MSHA for the mining industry.
Although the correlation between the gravimetric and RAM-1 results on an individual location basis was less than expected, this was not the case for the overall average reduction for the results.
Gravimetric samples were located on the south side of the building at sample locations 2,4, and 6, corresponding to levels A, B, and C, respectively.
  More results at FactBites »


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.