Ask A Scientist General Science Archive

Author:     eye
Text:       Does an object at sea level weigh the same as it would at 29,000 
feet?  How does one measure the difference?

Response #:  1 of 1
Author:      Eric Peterson
Text:        In short, No.  An object at sea level would weigh more at sea 
level than at 29,000 ft.  Weight is simply the action of the force due to 
gravity acting on a given mass (boy if that was not as clear as mud!).  
Thebest way to measure this (and crudely), is to take a known weight at sea 
level on a very sensitive scale.  Measure the same object at 29,000 feet and 
you should see a very, very small difference, probably in the range of 1 part 
per 10,000.