Gravity of Earth

Gravity of Earth is the gravitational attraction Earth exerts on objects. Near its surface, it gives objects weight and accelerates freely falling bodies at about 9.8 meters per second squared.

Newton's law of universal gravitation: A law stating that masses attract with force proportional to their product and inversely proportional to their separation squared. It quantifies the attraction between Earth and an object outside or near its surface.
Weight: The gravitational force acting on a body, commonly calculated as mass multiplied by local gravitational acceleration. An object’s weight near Earth reflects the local strength of Earth’s gravity.
Gravimetry: The measurement of variations in gravitational acceleration to study mass distribution and geological structure. Gravity measurements reveal density variations within Earth and beneath its surface.
Equator: The great circle around Earth equidistant from the geographic poles. Earth’s rotation and equatorial bulge make surface gravity weaker here than near the poles.
Gravitational field: A vector field describing the gravitational force per unit mass at each point in space. Earth’s attraction can be represented as a field that varies with position.
Free fall: Motion in which gravity is the only force acting significantly on an object. Falling objects reveal Earth’s gravitational acceleration when air resistance is small.
Geodesy: The science of measuring Earth’s shape, orientation, and gravitational field. Accurate models of Earth’s gravity support mapping, positioning, and reference-height systems.
Earth's poles: The two points where Earth's rotational axis meets its surface. Surface gravity is stronger near the poles because they lie closer to Earth’s center and feel less centrifugal effect.
Gravitational acceleration: The acceleration a body experiences due to gravitational force. Near Earth’s surface, this acceleration is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared.
Gravitational potential energy: Energy associated with the position of masses in a gravitational field. Lifting an object against Earth’s attraction stores gravitational potential energy.

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