Newton's cannonball and Gravity

Newton's cannonball and Gravity

Week 10

in this week we will see when the curvature of the Earth is taken into consideration, the direction of gravity changes with the distance traveled. 

 

 Isaac Newton in 1687 in 1687 imagined shooting a cannonball parallel to the Earth's surface from the top of a very high mountain. It would strike the ground at some distance from the mountain top, depending on the velocity of the cannonball, fly off into space or go into orbit around the Earth.

If a cannonball is fired parallel to the Earth's surface from a cannon on the top of a high mountain, the ball will usually travel for some distance until it hits the ground.

If the velocity of the cannonball is only sufficient to carry it several kilometers or miles, the curvature of Earth does not really come into play. For greater distances, the curvature of the Earth becomes a factor.

When the ground is considered flat, the force of gravity is perpendicular to the horizontal velocity of the cannonball. However, when the curvature of the Earth is taken into consideration, the direction of gravity changes with the distance traveled. It is assumed that the force of gravity is concentrated at the center of the Earth.