The weight of a body above sea level varies inversely with the square of the distance from the center of Earth. If a woman weighs 131 pounds when she is at sea level, 3960 miles from the center of Earth, how much will she weigh when she is at the top of a mountain, 4.8 miles above sea level?

Question

Physics

Baron Neal

3 August, 08:31

The weight of a body above sea level varies inversely with the square of the distance from the center of Earth. If a woman weighs 131 pounds when she is at sea level, 3960 miles from the center of Earth, how much will she weigh when she is at the top of a mountain, 4.8 miles above sea level?

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Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Rowan Peters · Answer 1

89.16pounds

Explanation:

The equation that defines this problem is as follows

W=k/X^2

where

W=Weight

K = proportionality constant

X=distance from the center of Earth

first we must find the constant of proportionality, with the first part of the problem

k=WX^2=131x3960^2=2054289600pounds x miles^2

then we use the equation to calculate the woman's weight with the new distance

W=2054289600 / (4800) ^2=89.16pounds