In: Physics
Classical Mechanics problem:
Suppose you are on a perfectly spherical planet and measure the free-fall acceleration to be g = g0 at the North Pole. (This planet is not necessarily Earth!) At the equator, you measure g = λg0 (with 0 ≤ λ ≤ 1). Find g(θ), the free-fall acceleration at colatitude θ as a function of θ.
Solution :
Let be a unit radial vector of cylindrical frame of reference and be the spherical coordinate. Consider the following diagram.