Earth's Weight

[Losertwothemaxx]

Okay, so I was thinking aimlessly while I was driving home (like I do often) when I had a really weird thought... If you can put the earth on a scale, would it's average weight ever change? The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Even though water is evaporating on 2/3 of the earth, its coming down 2x faster on the other 1/3 of the earth. As we gain a pound, something just decayed a pound away.

Maybe I didn't think it all the way through, but I couldn't think of anything that didn't have an opposite effect to balance it out.

Comments? Complaints?

[Piro]

The Earth's mass wouldn't change. Water may evaporate but that's just part of the water cycle, it's still there just in another form. But technically, water is not part of the Earth's mass. Earth is the core (inner/outer), mantle and the crust that's it in regard to it's actual mass.

But you could argue that the consumption of biomass (fossil fuels, burning forests and blah) on the otherhand would ultimately reduce the mass of the planet. For example, a tree rots and is added to the sediment on the ground, that in turn over centuries is compressed into sedimentary rock, then into metamorphic rocks with heat and further pressure until it's igneous rock and rejoins the mantle; a part of the Earth's mass. In that case it could change, but I'm a little rusty on this subject, I'm sure it could be stretched further.

[HappyNinja]

The Earth's mass wouldn't change. Water may evaporate but that's just part of the water cycle, it's still there just in another form. But technically, water is not part of the Earth's mass. Earth is the core (inner/outer), mantle and the crust that's it in regard to it's actual mass.

But you could argue that the consumption of biomass (fossil fuels, burning forests and blah) on the otherhand would ultimately reduce the mass of the planet. For example, a tree rots and is added to the sediment on the ground, that in turn over centuries is compressed into sedimentary rock, then into metamorphic rocks with heat and further pressure until it's igneous rock and rejoins the mantle; a part of the Earth's mass. In that case it could change, but I'm a little rusty on this subject, I'm sure it could be stretched further.

All well and good Piro. But mass does not = weight.

Abbr. m Physics. A property of matter equal to the measure of an object's resistance to changes in either the speed or direction of its motion. The mass of an object is not dependent on gravity and therefore is different from but proportional to its weight.

[Piro]

All well and good Piro. But mass does not = weight.
I know, but it's all related, I'm just skipping gravity. :shrug:

Even still, water is seperate from the Earth, so the argument is still the same; weight or no weight.

[Acid_Corona]

If you take into consideration of the weight of people's consumption on the earth, it is possible to think that the weight of the earth is constantly changeing. It may only be tiny changes, but it is change all the same.

For example, in a perfect world, where hunger is not a problem, if people were to eat biomass, i.e. corn, and then exercise to maintain a constant weight, the original weight of the biomass is lost as heat. And seeing as how biomass can only be replace at a slower value than we consume, the earth's weight could be considered nonstatic.

[RageAgainst]

meteors add to the total mass.

When you launch a satellite, you loose some mass too.

[Lonely_Person]

mass and weight are different mass is how much space the object takes up but everything on the earth is used and reused so isn't it usually the same?

[Acid_Corona]

Mass is how much material is in something, not how much space it takes up.

[Lonely_Person]

yeah that's what i mean but the amount of material influences the amount of space it takes up but whatever i'm no science guy:)

[Broken]

First since weight is a function of gravity, the water/vapor never leaves that force so Earth's weight doesn't change in your scenario. However, Rage is correct in the fact that the Earth is picking up space dust, etc. which adds to it mass.

[Losertwothemaxx]

First since weight is a function of gravity, the water/vapor never leaves that force so Earth's weight doesn't change in your scenario. However, Rage is correct in the fact that the Earth is picking up space dust, etc. which adds to it mass.


But as the earth is accumulating space dust, we are shooting things off into space therefore equalizing the weight again.

[leehype]

I can't remember where I read it, but I read that the earth accumalates 1/2-1 inch of dust from space every year. Now that is over the surface of the planet.

You do too much thinking when your driving, you know that?

[Broken]

But as the earth is accumulating space dust, we are shooting things off into space therefore equalizing the weight again.


Ahh~ Sure NASA has a special program that launches off the correct amount matter every year to keep the balance.

[Losertwothemaxx]

I can't remember where I read it, but I read that the earth accumalates 1/2-1 inch of dust from space every year. Now that is over the surface of the planet.

You do too much thinking when your driving, you know that?


And how much can space dust actually weigh? You don't think that one rocket has about as much weight as all the space dust in europe.

And

Ahh~ Sure NASA has a special program that launches off the correct amount matter every year to keep the balance.
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This is why I said average... I wasn't looking for percise down to the very last decimal, just its overall weight in each 10 year period for example.

[leehype]

And how much can space dust actually weigh? You don't think that one rocket has about as much weight as all the space dust in europe.

Ummm, ok, the relative surface of the earth is
1015 × 0.510 M2

Now take that and multiply it but the 1 inch, and you will find out how many cubic yards of dirt are deposted on the earth every year.

That is a lot of fucking dirt.

[Losertwothemaxx]

Ummm, ok, the relative surface of the earth is
1015 × 0.510 M2

Now take that and multiply it but the 1 inch, and you will find out how many cubic yards of dirt are deposted on the earth every year.

That is a lot of fucking dirt.


So... where does all this dirt/dust end up going? We are obvisiously not getting buried by it.

[Chad]

So... where does all this dirt/dust end up going? We are obvisiously not getting buried by it.


Yeah no shit, where the fuck do you think dust falls? To the ground maybe?

Ok there is this little thing called gravity where the dust falls to the fucking ground? Or floats around because of air pressure(wind) and it isnt soluble in air.

[screwy]

http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-iiam.gif

[Losertwothemaxx]

Yeah no shit, where the fuck do you think dust falls? To the ground maybe?

Ok there is this little thing called gravity where the dust falls to the fucking ground? Or floats around because of air pressure(wind) and it isnt soluble in air.

So how come the ground level is not increasing? Where the hell the the last 2 feet of dust go in the last 20 years? It has to be somewhere and it all can't be in the air.

[Broken]

This is why I said average... I wasn't looking for percise down to the very last decimal, just its overall weight in each 10 year period for example.


Ten Years would equal Pfft~in comperitve mass gain. The total amount mass gain per year can range from 10 million to 1 billion kilograms. If you average of 500 million kilograms a year has landed on Earth over the past 10,000 years. That's 5 trillion kilograms. The mass of the Earth is over 5 x 10 metric tons. The Earth gained only about one trillionth of its current mass. In the last 10K years.

Dust in the wind all we are is dust in the wind~ ROFL~ Yes, Im drinking

[leehype]

Ten Years would equal Pfft~in comperitve mass gain. The total amount mass gain per year can range from 10 million to 1 billion kilograms. If you average of 500 million kilograms a year has landed on Earth over the past 10,000 years. That's 5 trillion kilograms. The mass of the Earth is over 5 x 10 metric tons. The Earth gained only about one trillionth of its current mass. In the last 10K years.

Dust in the wind all we are is dust in the wind~ ROFL~ Yes, Im drinking

Thank you and cheer's http://www.marylandcreepers.com/phpBB2/images/smiles/icon_beer.gifhttp://www.marylandcreepers.com/phpBB2/images/smiles/pint.gif

[King Goldfish]

The Earth's mass wouldn't change. Water may evaporate but that's just part of the water cycle, it's still there just in another form. But technically, water is not part of the Earth's mass. Earth is the core (inner/outer), mantle and the crust that's it in regard to it's actual mass.

But you could argue that the consumption of biomass (fossil fuels, burning forests and blah) on the otherhand would ultimately reduce the mass of the planet. For example, a tree rots and is added to the sediment on the ground, that in turn over centuries is compressed into sedimentary rock, then into metamorphic rocks with heat and further pressure until it's igneous rock and rejoins the mantle; a part of the Earth's mass. In that case it could change, but I'm a little rusty on this subject, I'm sure it could be stretched further.


not true. Slowly the earth is releasing micro fine particals into space. Probrbaly more then is falling on earth from elsewhere. Or perhaps the opposite. So it could be in the form of a few tons a day it still changes a fraction of 1/billion of 1% a day.

could fluxuate and go back and forth.

[King Goldfish]

Ten Years would equal Pfft~in comperitve mass gain. The total amount mass gain per year can range from 10 million to 1 billion kilograms. If you average of 500 million kilograms a year has landed on Earth over the past 10,000 years. That's 5 trillion kilograms. The mass of the Earth is over 5 x 10 metric tons. The Earth gained only about one trillionth of its current mass. In the last 10K years.

Dust in the wind all we are is dust in the wind~ ROFL~ Yes, Im drinking


Actually you gave a much better explanation
. nice :thumbsup:

But the earth Im sure changes in mass by fractions. I dont think it will wither away anytime soon. Im sure the sun will swallow us up first.

[FuckedOver]

Going back to the original idea of the thread...

If u wanted to weigh the earth it would need to be done on the surface of a larger planet, or a series of larger planets.
The earth's weight would change depending on the strength of the other planet's gravitational pull, but it's mass would not.

[frgrbrgr]

So how come the ground level is not increasing? Where the hell the the last 2 feet of dust go in the last 20 years? It has to be somewhere and it all can't be in the air.

maybe the ocean? trenches? social security?:confused:

[Angry]

Ten Years would equal Pfft~in comperitve mass gain. The total amount mass gain per year can range from 10 million to 1 billion kilograms. If you average of 500 million kilograms a year has landed on Earth over the past 10,000 years. That's 5 trillion kilograms. The mass of the Earth is over 5 x 10 metric tons. The Earth gained only about one trillionth of its current mass. In the last 10K years.

Dust in the wind all we are is dust in the wind~ ROFL~ Yes, Im drinking
Very well put :)
I think the Earth's mass probably hardly changes much, but soon (20-50 years imho), given some companies' plans to start mining the moon and/or asteroids to use the resources back here, it might.