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 (45^o latitude), at sea level.

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

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