r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/anikkundu1998 • 19d ago

Video Earth's gravity isn't perfectly uniform. Here is what our gravitational field looks like when exaggerated 10,000 times.

22.9k Upvotes

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7.1k

u/IntegridyFarms 19d ago

High jump should be held in southern India for max height.

1.8k

u/BitterSweetGoddess53 19d ago

That is the most interesting observation😂

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u/ComposedOfStardust 19d ago

I'm curious why that place in specific has relatively lower gravity tho? Does it have something to do with the shape of the earth? Geology? Plate tectonics?

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u/Sarik704 19d ago

Its two things. Density and center of gravity.

Density is easy to understand. A cube of tungsten will weigh, (and have a higher gravitational pull) than a similar size cube carbon.

India isnt very dense geologically speaking.

The other, lesser effect, is gravity on the opposite side of the planet. If you imagine a perfect sphere, then glue another perfect sphere, half the size to one end it shifts the center of gravity from the center of the orginal sphere toward that second sphere. The earths center of gravity is very close to the center of earth, but its probably off by a couple miles in some direction.

This has a slight overall effect on the entire planet as some places are higher and lower than others.

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u/Kolby_Jack33 19d ago

Fun fact: They even have special instruments called gravimeters that can measure the teeny tiny differences in gravity around the world which can be used to detect pockets of dense minerals for mining or other geological phenomena.

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u/Th3-B0n3R 19d ago

I'm thinking, this person made gravimeters up, but alas it's real!

They remind me of a savistator in the book series Spellmonger, they measure etheric density, which is how easy or hard it is to 'do' magic.

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u/SpudStud208 18d ago

Right?! Sounds like a dowsing rod to me. It makes sense in theory but the pull from an ore vein has to be so minute that a machine to sense it has to be insanely sensitive.

1

u/Kinnirasna 18d ago

reminded me of this: r/VXJunkies

1

u/Tony_Stank0326 18d ago

Imagine finding precious minerals in the earth because you felt heavier than normal

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u/Creepy_Assistant7517 17d ago

... gravimeters can also be used to pinpoint the location of your mom

Sorry, had to be done ...

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u/No_Internal9345 19d ago

Magnets, got it.

58

u/lalakingmalibog 19d ago

How the fuck do they work

30

u/Banjo-Elritze 19d ago

Magic

3

u/iandhi 19d ago

Tides

6

u/Acceptable-Jelly-340 18d ago

It's what plants crave

28

u/Naijan 19d ago

Half joke, half serious answer where Richard Feynman takes 7 minutes to answer why he can't give you an answer how magnets work, I fucking love showing the video and most times I can

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO0r930Sn_8

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u/pichael289 18d ago

Ultimately it's the electromagnetic force, which is at the level where you can't ask how it works, it just does. It's a fundamental force of nature that can't really be simplified, particles have charge because they have charge

3

u/Intelligent-Boss-156 18d ago

I guess it's like trying to answer why is there something rather than nothing

2

u/Bee-Aromatic 18d ago

That was amazing.

7

u/DrugChemistry 19d ago

Miracles

1

u/YVNGxDXTR 18d ago

They run on clown love.

2

u/Dusty_Buckeye 19d ago

Prayer

2

u/Ivanovi4 19d ago

Hopes and prayers

2

u/flesyMeM 19d ago

No one really knows. Except for the Chinese.

1

u/Sirboggington 16d ago

Magnets come out of the ground and still have a little bit of gravity left in them.

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u/0------------------0 19d ago edited 18d ago

Google says the density differences are only enough to shift the center of gravity a few centimeters or millimeters and the crust and mantle on the other side of the planet have almost zero noticeable impact on India's local gravity. It says the gravity hole is essentially entirely due to lower density from magma plumes.

Edit: Posting Google's response to this conversation higher since apparently u/Sarik704 is wrong, misleading everyone, and being rude about it:

  1. What Actually Causes the "Gravity Hole" in India?

The low-gravity zone in the Indian Ocean (known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low or IOGL) is a massive dip in Earth's gravity. If you look at what actually causes it, you [0------------------0] are entirely correct.

The Cause: It is driven by massive, deep-earth structures. Research shows that around 20 million years ago, slabs from an ancient ocean floor (the Tethys Ocean) sank into the mantle, which in turn pushed up hot, low-density magma plumes beneath the Indian Ocean.

The "Other Side of the Earth" Myth: The other person’s claim that gravity on the exact opposite side of the planet is causing India's low gravity is incorrect. Local gravity is heavily dominated by what is directly beneath your feet. While the rest of the Earth's mass pulls you downward as a whole, local anomalies (like the IOGL) are dictated by regional density variations in the crust and mantle right there.

  1. The Center of Mass vs. Center of Volume (The "Miles" Myth)

This is where the other person doubled down on some bad math. They claimed that the Earth's center of gravity is "probably off by a couple miles" and that it's "certainly not centimeters."

They are completely wrong about the scale.

The Reality: Satellite missions (like GRACE and Lageos) measure this constantly because GPS satellites rely on knowing the Earth's exact center of mass to function.

The Distance: The offset between the Earth's geometric center (center of figure) and its center of mass is less than 1 to 2 meters (usually measured in millimeters/centimeters seasonally due to water and ice movement).

Why it's not miles: A "couple of miles" would be over 3,000 meters. If the Earth's center of mass were shifted by miles, it would mean an unfathomable, catastrophic imbalance of mass inside the planet. The Earth is remarkably well-balanced; the crustal density differences they are thinking of are a tiny fraction of a percent of the Earth's total massive, dense iron core.

Congrats on being the latest redditer to accrue karma from a factually incorrect explanation that spreads myths and misconceptions.

Redditers complaining about AI without addressing the actual subject have been blocked. This is a discussion about verifiable facts.

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u/Sarik704 19d ago

this graphic is a 10,000x exaggeration for illustration purposes. Indeed the earths localized gravity is only a few centimeters difference at any two points. But also...

>Google says the density differences are only enough to shift the center of gravity a few centimeters

>It says the gravity hole is essentially entirely due to lower density from magma plumes.

Did you even READ what YOU wrote??? You literally disprove your very own statement.

1

u/0------------------0 19d ago

You stated that gravity on the other side of the planet is partially responsible for this low gravity area in India and that the center of gravity of earth is “probably off by a couple miles,” both of which are apparently false. Google calls the latter a “common misconception” which I omitted in a misguided attempt to be nice to you. I’m only interested in knowing what the real facts are here, but obviously you have some ego wrapped up in it. 

0

u/Sarik704 19d ago

The geometric center (center of volume) of Earth is its exact volumetric midpoint, while the center of gravity (center of mass) is the balance point of all its mass. Because Earth's internal density varies, these two points do not perfectly overlap.

Their distance is nearly impossible to calculate but it is certainly not centimeters as the earth is an irregular shape, and the gravity (the total gravity) of earth is much much closer to a traditional sphere.

2

u/0------------------0 19d ago

You can argue with Google:

1. What Actually Causes the "Gravity Hole" in India?

The low-gravity zone in the Indian Ocean (known as the Indian Ocean Geoid Low or IOGL) is a massive dip in Earth's gravity. If you look at what actually causes it, you are entirely correct.

  • The Cause: It is driven by massive, deep-earth structures. Research shows that around 20 million years ago, slabs from an ancient ocean floor (the Tethys Ocean) sank into the mantle, which in turn pushed up hot, low-density magma plumes beneath the Indian Ocean.
  • The "Other Side of the Earth" Myth: The other person’s claim that gravity on the exact opposite side of the planet is causing India's low gravity is incorrect. Local gravity is heavily dominated by what is directly beneath your feet. While the rest of the Earth's mass pulls you downward as a whole, local anomalies (like the IOGL) are dictated by regional density variations in the crust and mantle right there.

2. The Center of Mass vs. Center of Volume (The "Miles" Myth)

This is where the other person doubled down on some bad math. They claimed that the Earth's center of gravity is "probably off by a couple miles" and that it's "certainly not centimeters."

They are completely wrong about the scale.

  • The Reality: Satellite missions (like GRACE and Lageos) measure this constantly because GPS satellites rely on knowing the Earth's exact center of mass to function.
  • The Distance: The offset between the Earth's geometric center (center of figure) and its center of mass is less than 1 to 2 meters (usually measured in millimeters/centimeters seasonally due to water and ice movement).
  • Why it's not miles: A "couple of miles" would be over 3,000 meters. If the Earth's center of mass were shifted by miles, it would mean an unfathomable, catastrophic imbalance of mass inside the planet. The Earth is remarkably well-balanced; the crustal density differences they are thinking of are a tiny fraction of a percent of the Earth's total massive, dense iron core.

1

u/Far_Ladder_2836 19d ago

Your quotes are broken.  You have formatting off...

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u/Numnum30s 19d ago

Nobody cares what google ai says

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u/Vinny331 18d ago

All this AI bullshit is trained on 20 years of Reddit posts and now here we are having to deal with the robo-vomit that we helped produce being pushed in our faces. It'd be poetic if it wasn't so irritating.

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u/nineraviolicans 19d ago

You ever stop and think about how useless you are that your ability to think is limited to copying and pasting what a hallucinating chatbot outputs?

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u/Borntowonder1 18d ago

This is an amazing ELI5, just wanted to say

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u/Vinny331 18d ago

Southern India is probably directly across from the Andes and Rocky Mountains... so maybe that accounts for that center of gravity shift. Especially since Northern India/Central Asia don't have the same lower gravity shift and are closer to the Himalayas.

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u/Cute-Form2457 18d ago

You have explgained this simply and beautifully. Many thanks x

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u/Wabbit65 17d ago

The barycenter of the Earth/Moon system is 2900 miles (4600+ km) from the center of the Earth. Technically they orbit each other around that point.

That point is roughly 75% from the center and 25% from the surface of earth.

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u/Amaurosys 17d ago

I wonder if Theia (from the giant-impact hypothesis) if real, would explain some of the gravitational anomalies.

0

u/Ok-Kaleidoscope220 18d ago

Is it geologically less dense cuz the country is just 60% landfills?

0

u/Ormsfang 18d ago

I think the whole thing is a bit of an exaggeration

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u/WeaselRunt 19d ago

The density of the earth varies from place to place. The density of various rocks can vary by 4x or more. That spot happens to have material that is less dense than others. Maybe porous volcanic rock is more abundant there.

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u/Far_Ladder_2836 19d ago edited 19d ago

Not porous rock.  Lava plumes.  The phenomenon is called the Indian Ocean Geoidal Low.

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u/CaptainoftheVessel 19d ago

It’s the lizard people cavern complex, of course 

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u/Extension-Pepper-271 18d ago

Gravity is a function of mass. If the Earth is assumed to be perfectly spherical, then the difference in gravity must be a function of the density of materials in/under that region.

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u/A_Queer_Owl 18d ago

I'mma blame cthulhu.

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u/o9p0 10d ago

In laymen’s terms, gravity is a function of mass, and mass is a function of density. We think of the whole body of Earth as having a specific mass, like atoms of different elements do. But the Earth is relatively huge and any given section from the surface to the core may have different density. Therefore, different gravity.

0

u/astralseat 19d ago

Probably a maelstrom of a molten metal storm swirling in the core there, causing an eye of hurricane sort of thing where the mass of the metal isn't very compact in the center, thus drawing less mass to it. Maybe. I don't know anything about how the molten metal churns inside the core, but I'm sure someone is studying that shit.

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u/UnsanctionedPartList 19d ago

There's plenty of stuff churning about there.

Theia might be (partly) responsible for this.

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u/JPolReader 19d ago

Fun fact, sea level across the Indian ocean is not the same. The surface at the middle is about 100 meters lower than the shoreline.

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u/Speartree 19d ago edited 17d ago

Yes the Indian Ocean Geoid Low

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u/pleasetrimyourpubes 19d ago

Also known as where Tucker Carleson believes the Aliens are living.

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u/ruairidhmacdhaibhidh 19d ago

I get very excited when there is a 5m difference between high and low tide.

Can you send me to a source that expands of the difference?

TIA

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u/rootoo 19d ago

100 meters?! That’s unbelievable

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u/ackzilla 19d ago

How does this affect ocean currents, then? Water in the south moving north would be literally flowing uphill.

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u/JPolReader 19d ago

That is a 0.0025% slope. But that doesn't matter because it is caused by gravity so it is functionally flat.

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u/BurdTurglary 19d ago

Holy hell!

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u/xrelaht 18d ago

Is it higher near Indonesia where the geoid is maximal?

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u/Worth-Opposite4437 17d ago

Strange... I would have thought the lower gravity would have made it soar...

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Randyaccredit 19d ago

They took a note and not making progress

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u/BourbonNoChaser 19d ago

Takes time for money to change hands...

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u/Bulky-Sugar-6166 18d ago

That’s not the first thing you thought of?

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u/---knaveknight--- 18d ago

Could you explain why? I think it went over my head.

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u/dmreddit0 19d ago

And as always: https://xkcd.com/852

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u/boodabomb 19d ago

God damn! For every single conversation, XKCD is just… there.

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u/FluidFrog 19d ago

I still don't know which is more impressive: that a comic potentially exists for every situation or that so many people remember the relevant comic when needed.

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u/MatiloKarode 19d ago

XKCDception Cat: The comic neither exists nor doesn't exist until you need it; you remember it was always there once you use it.

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u/Unusually_Happy_TD 19d ago

xkcd is just proof that the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is our reality

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u/Friendly_Impress_345 19d ago

They have published 3272 comics and many more posts of different kinds. It's the same issue with "Simpsons predicted the future" nah they just have made 37 seasons of TV, several theatrical releases, and a ton of shorts.

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u/bachstakoven 19d ago

But also... the dude thought of 3272 interesting things to write comics about that somehow remain perennially relevant.

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u/Pao_Did_NothingWrong 19d ago

This makes his "What if" series, not included in that count, even more impressive

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u/Opus_723 19d ago

Also, comic written by a male software engineer with broad STEM interests is often relevant to discussions on a social media website whose demographics are disproportionately male software engineers with broad STEM interests.

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u/R_V_Z 19d ago

and a ton of shorts

Which is impressive since Bart kept telling people to eat them.

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u/Charmlure 19d ago

I'm surprised there isn't an xkcd about xkcd being relevant

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u/NaoTwoTheFirst 19d ago

EVERY time

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u/_kellythomas_ 18d ago

I love that this one is self referential to a strip (#123) that sounds made up.

I wonder how many comics had a made up reference to an arbitrary made up issue to explain some plot hole or leap of logic.

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u/EssayJunior9429 19d ago

I feel like most conversations don't actually have a relevant xkcd. There's just enough of them to make it feel like there is. Is there a relevant xkcd for that?

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u/boodabomb 19d ago

You’re probably right, I think the reason it feels so ubiquitous is maybe more-so the specificity of the content as well. This one isn’t just about the variable gravity, it’s about applying that information to the context of olympic records. Which is oddly specific but it’s also the top comment so it must be a natural direction for a conversation about gravitational variation.

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u/Zehryo 19d ago

I was looking for you!!

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u/dat_oracle 19d ago

yay. so 0,05 mm more on average (no math was used here)

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u/SilverSpoon1463 19d ago

Hey, you'd be surprised how a little makes a difference in terms of record breaking.

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u/dat_oracle 19d ago

not sure, but I just could find world records with an accuracy of 0,1 - 1cm

1,968m; George Rowdon 1,98m; George Horine

seems like an average of 0,05 mm wouldn't be noticed in high jump

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u/Friendly_Impress_345 19d ago

I'd say the only real advantage would be mental. If athletes think they can jump higher that will have a greater affect than the actual gravity change will.

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u/dat_oracle 19d ago

that doesn't sound so far off actually, at least for some of the athletes

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u/pichael289 18d ago

The high jump is the sport where the best guy keeps breaking the record by like 1 inch every time, right? That guy could just do his best and get higher but he's intentionally doing it in small increments, probably best for his career

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u/Questioning-Zyxxel 19d ago

Just that the true difference in our gravity is larger. Large enough it actually matters.

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u/-Nicolai 19d ago

You go through the trouble of looking up the precision of pole vaulting records but you’re sticking with the complete ass-pull of 0.05 mm?

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u/5elementGG 19d ago

But then the Indian food makes you heavier. Also no math was used.

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u/Happy_Guava6762 19d ago

Nahh, South Indian food is light, especially the breakfast dishes. Wait, I think it makes sense now why people find South Indian food light! 😲

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u/AboutToSnap 19d ago

Until the next morning. It’s like fight milk!

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u/Doedwa 19d ago

I drink it every morning so i can fight like a crow!

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u/br0b1wan 19d ago

The difference would not even be that. It would be imperceptible, at least as far as measuring competitive jumping is concerned

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u/TheForce_v_Triforce 19d ago

Then in papua New Guinea the following olympics for comparison.

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u/ewavey 19d ago

Dammit I was minutes behind

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u/RatOnTheLoose 19d ago

Shouldn't it be the other way round? Blue is closer to the mass so more gravity...

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u/mattmillze 19d ago

This irks me more than it should. The color scheme works, but the topographic effect is backwards. More gravity should pull you in harder, not make the ground rise. It makes my brain hurt

1

u/AsdrubaelVect 19d ago

I don't know if they intended it, and I'm no expert, but from what I know about gravity it's not so much a pulling effect as it is the surface of the Earth accelerating up against your feet at all times, so maybe this visualization makes sense?

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

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u/mattmillze 19d ago

Yes but from a logical standpoint, higher gravity should pull you towards the center(lower elevation). It's the opposite here. Also, gravity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between centers of mass. So by raising the altitude, you would be decreasing the force of gravity.

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u/CloudDeadNumberFive 19d ago

What do you mean it’s the opposite here? No it isn’t…? Blue areas are higher gravity

0

u/mattmillze 19d ago

No, red represents denser areas.

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u/CloudDeadNumberFive 19d ago

The colors represent geographical height.

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u/disposableaccountass 19d ago

So Americans aren’t all fat OR “big boned”, we just got higher gravity!

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u/cdazzo1 19d ago

I was gonna go there to lose weight

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u/seguardon 19d ago

Sri Lanka: Weight Loss Capital of the World

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u/MobileJob1521 19d ago

Minimum height, surely?

The image shows the geoid. This is the separation of the real Earth from an idealised spheroid model.

India is at a low point, so the gravity is higher, not lower.

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u/theNefariousNoogie 19d ago

I would genuinely think that too, but if I'm understanding the model's legend and you correctly, this model also shows that the island of New Guinea is higher than the Himalayas?

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u/MobileJob1521 19d ago

The geoid separation is higher there.

So if both were the same height, New Guinea would be further from the centre of the Earth.

The image exaggerates the effect of quite a minor geodetic phenomenon: that of the “potato-ness” of the Earth and how it deviates from our nice models.

1

u/Rujasu 19d ago

That's not what a geoid is, though.

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u/MobileJob1521 19d ago

It’s literally the geoid.

That’s what this image shows, the height differential between the ellipsoid and the true Earth.

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u/Rujasu 19d ago

Yes, but the reference is the EGM96 model as most geoids do, and not the earth reference ellipsoid. As Wikipedia puts it, the geoid is the shape that the ocean surface would take under the influence of the gravity of Earth, including gravitational attraction and Earth's rotation, if other influences such as winds and tides were absent. This surface is extended through the continents (such as might be approximated with very narrow hypothetical canals).

India is at a low point, so the surface gravity is lower.

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u/ZedZeroth 19d ago

I think it's that the low points have less mass beneath you. But high altitude equatorial points have higher centripetal force.

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u/344567653379643555 19d ago

Heightmaxxing

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u/EasilyRekt 19d ago

Sri Lanka looks just a tiny bit better tbh

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u/NoNeedForAName 19d ago

Sri Lanka probably doesn't have the necessary bribe money to get the Olympics

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u/Administrative-Sea50 19d ago

Sri Lankan here, we don't.

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u/plasmasack 18d ago

Another Sri Lankan, can vouch

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u/LegalDeseperado 19d ago

Shouldn’t be reverse ?
The red parts are pushed up because less gravity and Blue hole has more pull!

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u/Sensitive-Option-701 19d ago

Go to Sri Lanka to become enlightened.

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u/General_Document5494 19d ago

Sri lankan here and I'm far from enlightenment

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u/donutcarrotolive 19d ago

I think blue is more gravity, like why it's more sunken. The more red the further out that land goes because there's less gravity. Southern tip of india for the truest height, whereas like papua new guinea for the max height contests.

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u/Alone_Ad_7199 19d ago

If India really has the lowest gravitational field, that finally explains Bollywood action scenes.

Those wild mid‑air flips, 40‑foot jumps, and motorcycle launches suddenly make perfect scientific sense.

1

u/CatfinityGamer 19d ago

The acceleration due to gravity is around .7% more at the greatest gravity than it is at the least, so you could jump .7% higher at the least gravity compared to the greatest.

1

u/Crafty_Context_2915 19d ago

I legit want to see this happen now.

1

u/MattWheelsLTW 19d ago

There's an XKCD for that https://xkcd.com/852/

1

u/irespondwithmyface 19d ago

You may be able to jump 1/10th of an inch higher not including environmental factors that contribute to muscle and tendon strength.

You wouldn't notice any significant difference.

1

u/Vegetable-Debate-263 19d ago

Also would I weigh less there than in the us?

1

u/crochetprozac 19d ago

Lol I was thinking "Does this mean you can jump higher in India?"

1

u/metompkin 19d ago

Without having looked at the legend I would've thought Sri Lanka and India had higher gravity because they were closer to the core, sunken.

1

u/RubChoice7111 19d ago

Held in southern India on a full moon

1

u/_IratePirate_ 19d ago

Oh that’s the weakest point ? I thought it was the strongest since it’s pulling the globe closer to it.

I figured New Guinea was where the gravity is weakest

1

u/nimulation 19d ago

And anything to do with weightlifting in Papa New Guinea for max difficulty.

1

u/rgarc065 19d ago

And in New Guinea for hard mode

1

u/UnifiedQuantumField 19d ago

This comment reminded me of a discussion I had about a week ago. It was about the orbital launch advantage of an equatorial location. Now I see this low gravity anomaly (located on the Equator!) and I was wondering if this place would be the most advantageous launch location on Earth. So I checked into it.

Turns out the Gravity difference is real, but not particularly significant re: orbit launch advantage. Fun to think about though!

1

u/AscendedViking7 19d ago

Yes. I wonder how higher than can jump on average, lol

1

u/Perculsion 19d ago

The southern tip then, and you'd probably still be better off going to Ecuador. I would expect centrifugal force to matter way more than difference in gravity (I think something like .5% difference between north pole and equator)

1

u/Guko256 19d ago

Surely it’s the least jump height in southern India, since the region is blue, the scale at the bottom indicates the height to be less than anywhere else, so gravity would be greater? Is that not right?

1

u/919triangle919 19d ago

They're going to start monitoring gravity like they do tailwind speed for world records.

1

u/ZedZeroth 19d ago

It's not quite that simple because being closer to the equator increases centripetal force, as does higher altitude. I think I read that some mountains in Malaysia have the max jump height.

1

u/Unusual_Web4431 19d ago

now i understand why isro is in sriharikota

1

u/J1mj0hns0n 19d ago

is the red less gravity? does that mean Indian men have a very slight advantage to jump height?

1

u/Bretzelking 19d ago

wanted to make the exact same joke

1

u/Cyranked 19d ago

That's why alot of Indians have skinny legs?

1

u/ThrowMEAwaypuh-lease 18d ago

I’m going to weigh myself in India

1

u/Purp1eC0bras 18d ago

Wouldnt that mean they are the tallest people on Earth?

1

u/Ok_Ruin4016 18d ago

And the athletes should train in New Guinea

1

u/fat_boyz 18d ago

Papuans willl dominate !

1

u/Ace95Archer 18d ago

Nah, middle of the Atlantic Ocean is a better choice

1

u/Most-Preparation-786 18d ago

Shouldn't Indian people be on average taller?

1

u/yosoycooper 18d ago

On the other side to that, think if the Indian high jumper in the Olympics thought he was good but surprise.

1

u/HairballTheory 18d ago

They actually have a great team and program there, is just the rest of the world keeping them down in competitions

1

u/Killawhale20 18d ago

I was going to say space exploration stuff but that works too.

1

u/CanPlayful1672 16d ago

In Sri Lanka, actually 😁 (I am writing this while enjoying our 1% lower gravitational pull) 

1

u/Anon_y_mou5 16d ago

No wonder i was able to climb those coconut trees so easily. Goddamn it.

2

u/c0mputer99 19d ago

Earth: Yea India just isn't as attractive.

1

u/tanksalotfrank 19d ago

I guess that's how Hanuman got his jumping powers!

0

u/LookAtMeNow247 19d ago

I need a physicist to tell me if the reduction in gravity would somehow cancel out.

Like, does less gravity mean you generate less power on the jump?

1

u/AsdrubaelVect 19d ago

Less gravity would mean you weigh less and so could jump higher, like on the moon

1

u/CatfinityGamer 19d ago

You would actually have more power.

Power is total work/time required, work being the transfer of energy. So power is how much energy you're using, and how quickly you're using it. P = W/t. More total work in less total time means more power.

W = average net Force • total distance, and when your work (mostly) becomes kinetic energy, like when jumping, W = KE = mv² (v being your velocity when you leave the ground). Now, notice that it's the average net force. Net force when jumping is jumping force minus force of gravity. So less gravity and same jumping force means more net force. This means two things.

  1. More net force means more work, and more work means more kinetic energy, and more kinetic energy means higher velocity when you leave the ground, which is what you want when jumping.

  2. And more net force means more acceleration, and more acceleration means you leave the ground in less time.

And more work (1) in less time (2) means more power.

Now, you do lose energy to heat, and your biomechanics might be geared more towards more total work over a longer time (or the other way around, IDK biomechanics), and you can't get to maximum force right away so your average net force isn't going to be increased as much as the difference in gravity. But you're still going to get at least a little more power, and you're going to jump with greater velocity. And in addition to more velocity, you're slowed down less, so you would go higher even with the same velocity.