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Where was the Cavendish experiment conducted that first measured Earth’s density?

Quick Answer

It was carried out in Henry Cavendish’s private laboratory in Clapham, London, in 1797–1798. The setup used a torsion balance to measure the tiny gravitational attraction between lead spheres.

The Full Story

Henry Cavendish performed the famous torsion-balance experiment in his home laboratory at Clapham Common, then a village outside London, in 1797–1798. The apparatus let him detect the extremely small gravitational pull between large and small lead balls. Although Cavendish described it as a measurement of Earth’s density, the result is now understood as one of the earliest accurate measurements of the gravitational constant. The experiment is a landmark in the history of Newtonian gravity.

Key Facts

1.Location: Clapham, London, England
2.Experiment date: 1797–1798
3.Measured Earth’s mean density at about 5.5 times water

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Suggested video title for this topic:

"The lab experiment that weighed the Earth without lifting it."

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