2016 · Q42
Which one of the following statements is correct?
general-sciencephysics-mechanics
- AAcceleration due to gravity decreases with the increase of altitude
- BAcceleration due to gravity increases with the increase of depth (assuming earth to be a sphere of uniform density)
- CAcceleration due to gravity decreases with the increase of latitude
- DAcceleration due to gravity is independent of the mass of the earth
Explanation
Acceleration due to gravity decreases with altitude (g falls as 1/r^2 from Earth's centre). For a uniform-density sphere, g decreases linearly with depth, so (B) is wrong; g increases (not decreases) with latitude because of Earth's shape and rotation, so (C) is wrong; and g obviously depends on Earth's mass, so (D) is wrong. Hence only (A) is correct.