The Cavendish experiment has been described in elementary textbooks as "weighing the Earth." In fact,it was designed to measure the
A)acceleration due to gravity.
B)mass of Earth.
C)period of an Earth satellite.
D)gravitational constant G.
E)variation of g with height.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Cavendish experiment was designed to measure the gravitational constant G, which relates the force of gravity between two objects to their masses and the distance between them. Weighing the Earth would involve determining its mass directly, which was not the goal of this experiment.

The Cavendish Experiment Has Been Described in Elementary Textbooks as "Weighing