Gravity measured by globe-trotting gnome
29 Mar 2012 by Evoluted New Media
Kern the globe-trotting gnome heads to the South Pole on his latest leg of his round the world trip exploring gravity.
Gravity isn’t the same everywhere on Earth: you’d weigh more at the South Pole than at the equator, and here in the UK – a scientific theory Kern the gnome is hoping to prove.
“Most people don’t realise Earth’s gravity actually varies slightly,” said Tommy Fimpel, one of the Gnome Experiment’s coordinators. “One of the main causes is variations in the shape of the planet.”
“Believe it or not, the Earth is actually slightly potato-shaped, so you’ll weight up to 0.5% more or less depending on where you go. We thought our Gnome Experiment would be a fun way to measure the phenomenon.
The aim of the experiment is to bring together scientists, schools and the general public in a global investigation into gravity here on Earth. Participants get a flight case containing Kern, plus a set of Kern & Sohn precision scales adjusted according to local gravity at the Kern laboratory in Balingen, Germany. Once weighed – and photographic evidence taken – Kern is shipped off to his next exotic destination.
So far, the jet-setter and his scales have travelled to Lima, Mumbai, Mexico, South Africa, San Francisco, New Caledonia and Sydney. The latest stop took him to the South Pole, and now he’s on his way to Snolab in Canada to be measured 2km below the surface of the Earth. After that, he’s off to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
Albert Sauter, MD of Kern & Sohn said: “It’s amazing to think we’re recording a worldwide scientific phenomenon with tools as simple as a set of scales and a garden gnome. And it’s even better to know we’re putting gnomes to good use at long last.”
To track Kern’s process, read his blog or volunteer to weigh him, visit www.gnomeexperiment.com.
