Concept explainers
(a) Show that the rate of change of the free-fall acceleration with vertical position near the Earth’s surface is
This rate of change with position is called a gradient.
(b) Assuming h is small in comparison to the radius of the Earth, show that the difference in free-fall acceleration between two points separated by vertical distance h is
(c) Evaluate this difference for h = 6.00 m, a typical height for a two-story building.
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