When did Henry Cavendish report the measurement of the gravitational constant with the mass and density of the Earth?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC CGL 2023 Tier-I Official Paper (Held On: 19 Jul 2023 Shift 1)

Answer 1

The correct answer is June 1798.

Key Points

Henry Cavendish:-
- He was a brilliant scientist who made significant contributions to chemistry and physics.
- He discovered hydrogen in 1766 and measured the gravitational constant in 1798.
- His work on the gravitational constant was particularly important, as it provided the first accurate measurement of the force of gravity between masses in the laboratory.
- He reported the measurement of the gravitational constant with the mass and density of the Earth in June 1798. His results were published in a 57-page paper in the Transactions of the Royal Society entitled “Experiments to Determine the Density of the Earth.”
- Cavendish's experiment was the first to measure the force of gravity between masses in the laboratory and the first to yield accurate values for the gravitational constant. He used a torsion balance to measure the tiny gravitational attraction between two small lead balls and two much larger stationary lead balls.
- Cavendish's results were surprisingly accurate, and they remained the best available measurement of the gravitational constant for over a century. His experiment is considered to be one of the most important and influential experiments in the history of physics.