Acceleration Due to Gravity

The normal values for gravitational acceleration used in physics and engineering are:

g = 9.8066 m/s2

g = 32.1740 ft/s2

Poles and Equator

Because g varies from the poles to the equator, here are the extreme values:

North and South Poles: g = 9.832 m/s2 = 32.26 ft/s2.
Equator: g = 9.780 m/s2 = 32.09 ft/s2.

Standard Gravity

The term standard gravity refers to the gravitational acceleration at the point half way between the poles and equator (45o latitude), at sea level.

If you know your latitude, you can calculate the actual gravitational acceleration constant as follows:

$latex g_{surface} = g (1 + (5.305\times 10^{-3})sin^2\phi – (5.9\times 10^{-6})sin^2 2\phi)$

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