The Earth has a mass of approximately 5.972×10245.972\times 10^{24}5.972×1024 kilograms, which is about 13.17 septillion pounds (1.317 × 10^25 pounds)
. This mass is determined not by weighing the Earth on a scale, which is impossible, but by calculating the gravitational pull the Earth exerts on other objects using Newton's law of universal gravitation and precise measurements of the gravitational constant
. In summary:
- Earth's mass: 5.972×10245.972\times 10^{24}5.972×1024 kg
- Equivalent weight on Earth’s surface: about 13.17 septillion pounds (1.317 × 10^25 pounds)
- Measurement method: gravitational calculations based on Newtonian physics and experiments like the Cavendish experiment
This mass includes the planet’s composition primarily of iron, oxygen, magnesium, and silicon but excludes the Moon's mass, which is about 1.2% of Earth's mass
