Question

Determine the mass of planet Earth using the standard value of atmospheric pressure. Use Newton's Second Law in your favor to get your result. Do not place units. (Patm = 101325 Pa, RTarth = 6.37 x 106 m, g = 9.8 m / s2, Sphere = 4πr2) * Write your result as follows: ex. 6.37e106 *

Answer 1

Consider a unit area on the surface of the Earth.

The atmospheric pressure is

we know,

this force must be exactly equal to gravitational force.

where m is the mass of that air column

also using Newton's second law,

mow, putting values,

So, the mass of the Earth is 5.96e24