On the Science Channel a scientist stated that approximately 100 million tons of material land on the Earth's surface daily. I was wondering if this additional material significantly increases planetary mass or is there enough reciprocal discharge of terrestrial material into outer space (I know there is some) to approach some kind of equilibrium?

XaurreauX

The mass of the earth is some 5.97 x 10²⁴ kg

100 tons per day = 90,000 kg/day (approx)

Let's say 90,000 kg have been added daily over the course of 4.5 billion years (the suspected age of our planet). Forgetting leap years, this is:

90,000 kg/day x 365 days/year x 4.5 billion = 1.5 x 10¹⁷ kg

What fraction is this of the earth's mass?

(1.5 x 10¹⁷ kg)/(5.97 x 10²⁴ kg)

or, roughly, 2.5 x 10^-8 = .000000025

or about 1/40 millionth of the mass.

Info extracted from the Vanderbilt University Physics Department website at http://www.physics.vanderbilt.edu/astrocourses/AST101/homework/hw3key.html

quote:

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Originally posted by coldfuse:
"...about 1/40 millionth of the mass."

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Well, that puts the kibosh on my plans to acquire real estate to be sold as time shares. I guess I'll have to get off my butt, run out and capture an asteroid.

Thanks for the info.

XaurreauX

Dogspit:
Either Xaurreaux mis-stated the amount or you mis-read it, but the figure he gave for the amounmt of matter added daily was one hundred million tons, not 100 tons. If that is indeed the case the increase would be 10^6 times greater.

Quite so, frankvan! However, I believe the correct amount is 100 tons.