Question:

What is the difference of the earths acceleration measured between when the moon is straight up in the sky...

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and when it is all the way the other side of the earth (under your feet)?

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  1. Here is a back of the envelop calculation:

    The moon has 1/81 the mass of the earth and it's 60 times further away than the center of the earth. Therefore it's gravity is 81*60*60=291600 times weaker. The acceleration due to the earth is 9.813 m/s^2. Divide the two to find 3.4x10^5 m/s^2. The difference between up and down is twice the number.

    A small effect indeed, but still enough to generate the tides :)


  2. From the source stated below:

    "The gravitational effects of the Moon and the Sun (also the cause of the tides) have a very small effect on the apparent strength of Earth's gravity, depending on their relative positions; typical variations are 2 µm/s² (0.2 mGal) over the course of a day."

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