Weight of the world greatly reduced
Updated Sun 4/30/2000 06:38 EDT
London--April 30--It's a small world. Or at least smaller than had been previously thought, according to a report in the Observer newspaper on Sunday, which says scientists have recalculated the earth's mass, and found it to be considerably less than previously thought. The paper says that scientists are "falling off their chairs" at the new figure, which has the earth weighing in at a mere 5,972,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms. * * * The new figure, 5.972 sextillion metric tonnes, is some 10 billion metric tonnes less than previous estimates, according to two scientists at the University of Washington. Dr Steven Merkowitz and Professor Jens Gundlach believe they have come up with the most precise measurement for the force responsible for the fate of the cosmos. Known as the Big G, it is the gravitational constant that affects every planet. While the speeds of light and sound have been understood for years, gravity has proved more elusive. However, the new figure allows the weight of the earth to be more accurately calculated. The new weight of the world, although greatly reduced, still works out at 1 trillion tonnes of earth, rock and molten metals for every person on earth. End By BridgeNews, tel +44 20 7842 4245
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