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Because as you get farther away from Earth's center, the gravitational force between you and Earth weakens.
To understand the gravitational force experienced by an object (such as a space craft) due to another object (such as the earth), we may look to Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation.
F = G*(m1 * m2) / r2
Where:
F = Force of Gravity between object 1 and object 2
G = Universal Gravitational Constant (was found with a lot of experiments)
m1 = The mass of object 1
m2 = The mass of object 2
r2 = The squared distance between object 1 and 2 (spacecraft to centre of earth - centre is used as an average, in actual fact you'd have to get in to differential equations to correctly account for the non-uniform distribution and changing of mass of Earth)
If you actually work it out, you'll find that the force due to gravity you'll experience on the top of a mountain versus sea-level will be marginally less. Like, irrelevantly.
What? You want me to explain more? Sigh. Okay.
mass of earth (m1) is approx. 5.9742 × 1024 Kg
mass of a person (m2), let's assume it to be 80 Kg
G = 6.674×10−11 N m2 Kg−2
r1 = radius of earth (sea level) 6378.1 Km
r2 = radius of earth + height of Mt Everest 6378.1+8.85 = 6387Km
F1 (gravitation force experienced @ sea level) = [6.674×10−11 N m2 Kg−2 * 5.9742 × 1024 Kg * 80 Kg] / (6378100m)2
F2 (gravitation force experienced @ top of Everest) = [6.674×10−11 N m2 Kg−2 * 5.9742 × 1024 Kg * 80 Kg] / (6387000m)2
delta(F1,F2) = (1/(63870002)) - (1/(63781002)) [factored out the common stuff]
delta(F1,F2) = 4.079377*10-13 - 4.068*10-13
delta(F1,F2) = 1.1377 × 10-15
For contrast, the number of cells in the human body is considered to be of the order of 10 trillion cells (1012).
So, the difference is the same difference as taking 100 (102) human bodies, counting all the cells (sea level) and then adding one more cell (top of everest).
That's "engineering" speak for, there's no realistic difference.
Now, if you start computing the actual net gravitational force you experience, you'd need to dive in to far more interesting math. You'd need to consider other planetary bodies, other mountains, the mountain your own and so on. That'd nevertheless be remarkably pointless as everything's moving and the net force can be very very closely approximated with Newton's Law of Gravitation, without getting in to math that makes physics professors salivate and people with jobs weep.
This then leaves the question of why things in space float? Thing is, they don't at all. They only seem to. The force of gravity between earth and that spaceship I mentioned is going to be VERY similar to the force experienced between the two at sea level. The key is that as the spaceship is in free fall towards the planet, it also moves (VERY fast) tangent to the planet's surface. It works out that the tangent ("straight") distance traveled by the spaceship is largely cancelled out by how far it falls towards the planet. Not a great explanation, but I'm right.
Phew, I think I can rest easy, for now.
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∙ 9y ago
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What is the air pressure at the top of the mountain compared to the bottom of the mountain?
The air at the top of the mountain is going to be much less dense than the air at the bottom of the mountain because it is affected less by gravity.
Why would you weigh less on a high mountain peak than you would at sea level?
The weight of an object is the force of gravity on the object's mass. At the top of a mountain, you are slightly farther from the center of the earth, and so the earth's gravity is very slightly weaker. Thus, you weigh a tiny, tiny bit less at the top of the mountain than at sea level.
Why does an object weigh less at the top of the mountain than does at sea level?
It has to do with Earth's gravitational force. The farther away an object is from the object it is attracted to (in this case, the solid, magnetic core of the Earth), the less effect the force of gravity has on it.
Do small objects have more or less gravity than large objects?
The gravity depends on the mass.
Why is air pressure lower at the top of mountain than at the bottom of a mountain?
In one word - gravity ! Gravity hold the atmosphere close to the surface of the Earth. The higher you are off the ground - the lower the gravitational effects.
Why it is always colder on a mountain than at sealevel?
On a mountain, due to the high elevation, the air is thinner than at sea level, which makes it less able to hold heat.
What is the air pressure at the top of the mountain compared to the bottom of the mountain?
The air at the top of the mountain is going to be much less dense than the air at the bottom of the mountain because it is affected less by gravity.
Why would the person weigh less on top of the mountain than on the Earths surface?
The higher you go the less effect gravity has on you.
Why would you weigh less on a high mountain than at sea level?
The weight of an object is the force of gravity on the object's mass. At the top of a mountain, you are slightly farther from the center of the earth, and so the earth's gravity is very slightly weaker. Thus, you weigh a tiny, tiny bit less at the top of the mountain than at sea level.
Is gravity higher in one part of the earth than another?
Yes, gravity is slightly stronger closer to the center of mass of the earth. So at the top of a mountain the effects of gravity are less than at sea level.
Would you weigh less on a high mountain peak than you would at sea level?
The weight of an object is the force of gravity on the object's mass. At the top of a mountain, you are slightly farther from the center of the earth, and so the earth's gravity is very slightly weaker. Thus, you weigh a tiny, tiny bit less at the top of the mountain than at sea level.
Why would you weigh less on a high mountain peak than you would at sea level?
The weight of an object is the force of gravity on the object's mass. At the top of a mountain, you are slightly farther from the center of the earth, and so the earth's gravity is very slightly weaker. Thus, you weigh a tiny, tiny bit less at the top of the mountain than at sea level.
Why is gravity weak on continent?
On a continent, you are usually higher than sea level. Imagine you are on a mountain: you are farther from the center of the earth, so the force of gravity will be less. Also, if the rocks under a continent are less dense, this would make gravity weaker.
Why the weight of a body is less on the Moon than on Earth?
Because there is less gravity. There is less gravity because the moons total mass is less than the earths and gravity is related to mass.
Is the Moon's gravity less than the earth's gravity?
Yes, it is significantly less.
Why is there less air pressure on top of a mountain than near an ocean?
Because - the further away from the Earth's surface you go - the less gravity there is to hold the air molecules in place.
Why is there less gravity on moon?
The moon has less mass than Earth. Gravity is proportional to mass, so there is less gravity on the moon.
