Gravity in Champaign-Urbana

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
I need to know the acceleration due to gravity in Urbana, Illinois. I checked out NIST and they had a value of 9.80665 m/s2 but that is an average for any place on earth. I have no idea how much it varies depending on whether you are at the North Pole or the Equator. Maybe its not much, but I thought I would ask. thanks!!!
- Anne Werner (age 37)
University of Illinois, Urbana
A:
Anne -

I did some checking for you, but I don’t know if the result I found is going to be any more useful to you than what you have already. In an old log book of Professor Steven Errede from 1985-86, he had the value recorded as 9.8062 m/s2. This result actually came from the US Geological Survey, which had a gravity measurement point right here in town. I don’t know of any more recent measurements, and according to USGS, that measurement site no longer exists.

-Tamara

(published on 10/22/2007)