Earth is a unique planet in the solar system. It is not the smallest, but not the largest: it occupies the fifth place in size. Among the terrestrial planets, it is the largest in mass, diameter, density. The planet is located in outer space, and to find out how much the Earth weighs is difficult. It cannot be put on the scales and weighed, therefore, they say about its weight, summing up the mass of all the substances of which it consists. Approximately this figure is 5.9 sextillion tons. To understand what a figure is, you can simply write it mathematically: 5,900,000,000,000,000,000,000. From this number of zeros, it somehow ripples your eyes.
History of attempts to determine the size of the planet
Scientists of all ages and nations have tried to find the answer to the question of how much the Earth weighs. In ancient times, people assumed that the planet was a flat plate held by whales and a turtle. In some nations there were elephants instead of whales. In any case, the different peoples of the world represented the planet flat and having its own edge.
During the Middle Ages, ideas about shape and weight changed. The first to speak of a spherical form was J. Bruno, however, the Inquisition executed him for his beliefs. Another contribution to science, which shows the radius and mass of the Earth, was made by the traveler Magellan. It was he who suggested that the planet is round.
First discoveries
Earth is a physical body that has certain properties, among which there is weight. This discovery allowed us to begin a variety of studies. According to physical theory, weight is the force of the body to support. Given that the Earth has no support, we can conclude that it has no weight, but there is a lot of mass.
Earth Weight
For the first time, Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek scholar, tried to determine the size of the planet. In various cities of Greece, he took measurements of the shadow, and then compared the data obtained. Thus he tried to calculate the volume of the planet. After him, the Italian G. Galilei tried to carry out the calculations. It was he who discovered the law of free gravitation. The relay race to determine how much the Earth weighs was adopted by I. Newton. Through attempts to take measurements, he discovered the law of gravity.
For the first time, the Scottish scientist N. Mackeline managed to determine how much the Earth weighs. According to his calculations, the mass of the planet is 5.9 sextillion tons. Now this figure has increased. The difference in weight is due to the subsidence of cosmic dust on the surface of the planet. About thirty tons of dust annually remain on the planet, making it heavier.
Earth mass
To know exactly how much the Earth weighs, you need to know the composition and weight of the substances that make up the planet.
- Mantle. The mass of this shell is approximately 4.05 X 10 24 kg.
- Nucleus. This shell weighs less than the mantle - only 1.94 X 10 24 kg.
- Earth's crust. This part is very thin and weighs only 0.027 X 10 24 kg.
- Hydrosphere and atmosphere. These casings weigh 0.0015 X 10 24 and 0.0000051 X 10 24 kg, respectively.
Adding all these data, we obtain the weight of the Earth. However, according to various sources, the mass of the planet is different. So how much does planet Earth weigh in tons, and how much do other planets weigh? The weight of the planet is 5.972 X 10 21 tons. The radius is 6370 kilometers.
Based on the principle of gravity, you can easily determine the weight of the Earth. To do this, a thread is taken, and a small load is suspended on it. Its location is determined accurately. A ton of lead is placed nearby. An attraction arises between the two bodies, due to which the load deviates to the side by a small distance. However, even a deviation of 0.00003 mm makes it possible to calculate the mass of the planet. To do this, it is enough to measure the force of attraction in relation to weight and the force of attraction of a small load to a large one. The data obtained allow us to calculate the mass of the Earth.
Mass of the earth and other planets
Earth is the largest planet in the earth group. In relation to it, the mass of Mars is about 0.1 Earth weight, and Venus - 0.8. The weight of Mercury is about 0.05 of the earth. Gas giants are many times larger than Earth. If we compare Jupiter and our planet, then the giant is 317 times bigger, and Saturn is 95 times heavier, Uranus is 14. There are planets that weigh 500 times more than Earth. These are huge gas bodies located outside our solar system.