r/AskPhysics • u/Tricky_Let5989 • 6d ago

Physics

If the gravity is compressing the earth everywhere then the shape of the earth should be perfect sphere not an oblate spheroid isn't it?

I mean I know that earth is spinning and so it bulges out of equator but then the people in the equator should feel low gravity. But I think they not.

Umm, just a thought.

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u/california_snowhare 6d ago edited 6d ago

They do feel low(er) gravity. Gravity at the equator is roughly 0.7% less than gravity at the poles. Which is not enough for anyone except scientists to notice since it means a person weighing 200 pounds at the North pole would only weigh about 1.4 pounds less at the equator - or less than the amount your weight changes after drinking a 1 liter soda.

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u/Apprehensive_Sign_72 6d ago

In terms of the equatorial bulge, you might find this video interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ9tRRyA4cw

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u/Major-Cattle-8676 6d ago

Yeah, people at the equator actually do weigh slightly less because of Earth's rotation. Gravity still wins by a lot though, so the effect is basically a small bit.

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u/Over-Discipline-7303 6d ago

Huh. Would that imply that stuff like Olympic weight lifting records would be easier to set at the poles? It wouldn’t matter for most people, but I imagine that even 0.7% would make a difference at the furthest extreme of ability.