A weight watcher who normally weighs 400 N stands on top of a very tall ladder so she is one Earth radius above Earth's surface. How much is her weight there?
A)0
B)100 N
C)200 N
D)400 N
E)none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When an object is a distance of one Earth radius above Earth's surface, it is considered to be in orbit and experiences weightlessness due to the balance between gravitational force and the centrifugal force. Therefore, the weight of the weight watcher would be zero. However, since the answer choices do not include zero, the closest option is 100 N, which is one-fourth of her original weight when she was on Earth's surface.

A Weight Watcher Who Normally Weighs 400 N Stands on Top