Question: The acceleration due to gravity, g, is given by
g = GM/r2,
where M is the mass of the earth, r is the distance from the center of the earth, and G is the universal gravitational constant.
(a) Show that when r changes by Δr, the change in the acceleration due to gravity, Δg, is given by
Δg ≈ -2g(Δr/r)
(b) What is the significance of the negative sign?
(c) What is the percent change in g when moving from sea level to the top of Pike's Peak (4.315 km)? Assume the radius of the earth is 6400 km.