Question

You buy a bag of sugar of weight W at a place on the equator. You take this to Antarctica. Would its weight be the same there? If not, would it increase or decrease? why?

Answer 1

1. The weight (W) of the sugar bag is given by $W=mg$, where m is the mass of the sugar bag and g is the acceleration due to gravity.
2. The above expression shows that the weight of an object is directly proportional to the value of 'g' where the object is located.
3. At the equator, the value of g is 9.78 ms^-2, whereas, at the poles, the value of g is 9.83 ms^-2.
4. The value of g increases when we move from the equator to the poles.
5. Hence, the weight of the sugar bag also increases when we move to Antarctica, which is located near the south pole.