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Standard gravity



 
 
Standard gravity, usually denoted by g0 or gn, is the nominal acceleration due to gravity
Earth's gravity

Earth's gravity, denoted by g, refers to the acceleration that the Earth exerts on objects on or near its surface. Its strength is usually quoted in terms of falling bodies , which in International System of Units is measured in m/s? ....
 at the Earth's surface at sea level. By definition it is equal to exactly 9.80665 m/s2 (approx. 32.174 ft/s2) (where the notation m/s2 means meters per second per second, and the notation ft/s2 means feet per second per second).






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Standard gravity, usually denoted by g0 or gn, is the nominal acceleration due to gravity
Earth's gravity

Earth's gravity, denoted by g, refers to the acceleration that the Earth exerts on objects on or near its surface. Its strength is usually quoted in terms of falling bodies , which in International System of Units is measured in m/s? ....
 at the Earth's surface at sea level. By definition it is equal to exactly 9.80665 m/s2 (approx. 32.174 ft/s2) (where the notation m/s2 means meters per second per second, and the notation ft/s2 means feet per second per second). This value was established by the 3rd CGPM
General Conference on Weights and Measures

The General Conference on Weights and Measures is the English name of the Conf?rence g?n?rale des poids et mesures . It is one of the three organizations established to maintain the International System of Units under the terms of the Convention du M?tre of 1875....
 (1901, CR 70).

The symbol g is sometimes also used for standard gravity, but g strictly means the local acceleration due to gravity, which varies depending on one's position on Earth (see Earth's gravity
Earth's gravity

Earth's gravity, denoted by g, refers to the acceleration that the Earth exerts on objects on or near its surface. Its strength is usually quoted in terms of falling bodies , which in International System of Units is measured in m/s? ....
). The symbol g should not be confused with G, the gravitational constant
Gravitational constant

The gravitational constant, denoted G, is an empirical physical constant involved in the calculation of the gravitation between objects with mass....
, or g, the abbreviation for gram (which is not italicized). The g (sometimes written "gee") is also used as a unit of acceleration, with the value defined as above; see g-force
G-force

The g-force of an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. The unit of measure used is informally but commonly known as the "gee" , symbolized as g . An acceleration of 1 g is generally considered as equal to standard gravity , which is defined as precisely metre per second square...
.

The value of g0 defined above is a nominal midrange value on Earth, representing the acceleration of a body in free fall (in the absence of air resistance) at sea level at a geodetic latitude
Latitude

Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. Lines of Latitude are the horizontal lines shown running east-to-west on maps ....
 of about 45.5°. It is larger in magnitude than the average sea level acceleration on Earth, which is about  m/s2. Although the actual strength of gravity on Earth varies according to location, for weights and measures and many calculation purposes the standard gravity figure is used.

The SI unit of acceleration due to gravity (or, indeed, any acceleration), namely meters per square second, can also be written as newton
Newton

The newton is the International System of Units SI derived unit of force, named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on classical mechanics....
 per kilogram
Kilogram

The kilogram or kilogrammeThe spelling kilogram is used by the International Committee for Weights and Measures and the U.S....
. The numeric value stays the same: gn = 9.80665 N/kg. This alternative representation can be understood by noting that the gravitational force acting on an object at the Earth's surface is proportional to the mass of the object: for each kilogram of mass, the Earth exerts a nominal force of 9.80665 newtons (though, as stated, the precise value varies depending on location).

See also

  • Earth's gravity
    Earth's gravity

    Earth's gravity, denoted by g, refers to the acceleration that the Earth exerts on objects on or near its surface. Its strength is usually quoted in terms of falling bodies , which in International System of Units is measured in m/s? ....
  • g-force
    G-force

    The g-force of an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. The unit of measure used is informally but commonly known as the "gee" , symbolized as g . An acceleration of 1 g is generally considered as equal to standard gravity , which is defined as precisely metre per second square...
    , a measure of acceleration
  • G
    Gravitational constant

    The gravitational constant, denoted G, is an empirical physical constant involved in the calculation of the gravitation between objects with mass....
    , the gravitational constant in Newton's law of gravity
    Gravitation

    Gravitation is a natural phenomenon that gives weight to objects. In everyday life, attraction due to gravity is the result of the presence of relatively large bodies, such as the Earth and the Moon....
  • Gravitational acceleration
    Gravitational acceleration

    In physics, gravitational acceleration is the acceleration of an object caused by the force of gravity from another object. In the absence of any other forces, any object will accelerate in a gravitational field at the same rate, regardless of the mass of the object....