acceleration of gravity

noun

, Physics.

1. the acceleration of a falling body in the earth's gravitational field, inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the body to the center of the earth, and varying somewhat with latitude: approximately 32 feet (9.8 meters) per second per second. : g

acceleration of gravity

1. The acceleration of a body falling freely under the influence of the Earth's gravitational pull at sea level. It is approximately equal to 9.806 m (32.16 ft) per second per second, though its measured value varies slightly with latitude and longitude.
2. Also called acceleration of free fall

Word History and Origins

Origin of acceleration of gravity¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Grail measured variations in the acceleration of gravity, which can provide a window into the Moon's internal structure.

From BBC

"Some of those variations are due to topography. So if there's a mountain there, there's an extra acceleration of gravity," explained Prof Melosh.

From BBC

GAL: “Get a life” and a galileo, a unit used measuring local variations in the acceleration of gravity: For some reason, whenever I start talking about the latter, I hear the former.

From Washington Post

The acceleration of gravity in latitude 45� is taken as 980.7 C.G.S.

From Project Gutenberg

A similar sensation would be experienced if we were suddenly transported to the moon where the acceleration of gravity is much less than upon the earth.

From Project Gutenberg