Centre of Mass and Gravity at Earth’s Centre – Rankers Physics

Acceleration Due to Gravity and its variation: Practice Problem & Solution

Assertion (A): At the centre of the earth, a body has centre of mass, but no centre of gravity. Reason (R): Acceleration due to gravity is zero at the centre of the earth.  
Both (A) & (R) are true and the (R) is the correct explanation of the (A)
Both (A) & (R) are true but the (R) is not the correct explanation of the (A)
(A) is true but (R) is false
Both (A) and (R) are false

Solution Explained:

To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Acceleration Due to Gravity and its variation. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:

Assertion (A) is true. A body always has a center of mass.


Centre of gravity is the point where the net gravitational torque is zero. At the center of the Earth, the acceleration due to gravity \( g \) is zero. Thus, there is no gravitational force, and consequently, no center of gravity in the usual operational sense.


Reason (R) is true. The acceleration due to gravity \( g \) is indeed zero at the centre of the earth. Since the absence of gravity leads to no definable centre of gravity, (R) is the correct explanation for (A).

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