How Heavy Is The Earth ?
by gowtham[ Edit ] 2010-02-13 20:02:49
Now despite science coming forward in leaps and bounds the simple question of how much the Earth weighs isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Certainly placing the earth onto a massive set of weighing scales isn’t an option. So how do we measure the total weight of the earth ?
Well scientists initially went about this task by trying to estimate the weight of a very large mountain and then simply scaling that figure up. However this method led to some peculiar results and since then the mathematics and calculations involved have changed taking into consideration further factors such as the volume and overall density of the planet.
If you combine the above with weighted samples of various parts of the planet scientists have come up with a more accurate number which they believe to be around 6 quadrillion kilograms