Garden gnome dispatched to poles, equator, elsewhere, to measure gravitational variation

Kern Precision Scales has dispatched a garden gnome around the world to be weighed, in order to test the hypothesis that things weigh less at the equator than they do at the poles, due to the "little bit potato shaped" imperfections in the Earth's sphericalness. They've reported that their gnome is 0.6% lighter at the equator. This is a pretty awesome stunt.

The Gnome Experiment by Kern (via /.)

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Mel Schriver

It would appear that they are measuring the mass of the gnome since it is recorded in grams. According to the laws of physics the mass of the gnome should be constant no matter where you measure it. I think what they are trying to measure is weight due to the force of gravity which is variable and that is not measured in grams but newtons (in the metric system at least). The results seem to suggest that the balances do not actually measure mass but determine the weight of an object and then computationally converts it to mass which, as this experiment actually shows, gives scientifically incorrect results.
- Doctor 13enster
  
  An electronic balance does indeed measure weight and convert it to mass. However, such balances are calibrated at the sites where they are used. Furthermore, for many experiments, a 0.6% discrepancy in weight is so small compared to other sources of error that it is statistically insignificant.
- http://BrianEaston.net/ Brian Easton
  
  They are weighing in grams, not taking the mass of the gnome. It’s a scale not a balance.
stwf

I’m surprised it weighs less at the equator… I would think that with more rock underneath it the gravitational force would be higher. I guess that its the extra distance from the core overrides this.
http://twitter.com/GielVanDeWiel Giel van de Wiel

You’re forgetting that things weigh less at the equator because the centripetal force, caused by the earth’s spin, is greatest there; this force cancels out gravitational force caused by earth’s (and the gnome’s) mass. The earth’s shape is a factor (as is the local geological composition) but these are much less significant.
- http://twitter.com/GielVanDeWiel Giel van de Wiel
  
  This is also why rockets are usually launched from a low latitude (i.e. close to the equator).
  - this2ismyname
    
    Thank you for using the correct force with the wrong idea. It is true the extra speed boost at the equator is why they launch rockets near there. However, it has nothing to do with weight. Weight is a result of gravity which is calculated by distance between the center of two masses.
    
    They should really send it to the top of Everest and with James Cameron in his sub.
peterkvt80

Gravity isn’t the only force in this story. The hypothesis misses out one major effect, that of the rotation of the Earth. This story would be better handled by Maggie.
Daniel Smith

You’re all forgetting that gnomes, even garden gnomes, are naturally attracted to the hollow earth, which as we all know has entrances is at the poles. I suspect it is the proximity to this opening that gives the added attraction seen on the scale.
mat catastrophe

Science! It isn’t just for useful stuff anymore!

Seriously, though, considering some of the other comments above, this is a flawed experiment. A more accurate measure would be the weight of the gnome at the point where the earth is least spherical and one at the same relative latitude in the other hemisphere.

I mean, duh.

(At any rate, it’s not like this isn’t just a viral advertisement for the scales anyway).
- ChickieD
  
  This is so a viral ad but it is so perfectly executed that I am thinking their PR person (I like to imagine that she is a woman) is AWESOME. Wonderful video, wonderful concept. Love the map with the gnomes on their website. I hope they sell millions of scales.
  - http://twitter.com/allanedwards Allan Edwards
    
    Thanks but I have to disappoint you the team working on this just happen to be all male.
    
    What has been great about the response to this work is that the debates we have ourselves had over what detail to include in the communications in terms of the potential experimental errors, relative impacts of the various factors that come into play to alter the measurement, units to use etc. are all getting discussed.
    
    As I am a geek to my core it has been really satisfying to be able to get people talking about basic science.
    - ChickieD
      
      Well, as someone who spent considerable time on video productions and websites, congratulations. Even if you are men :-)
theophrastvs

..fleck of paint fell off his gnomey nose to explain the whole result (..and the earth is flat). and/or so much for iridium cylinders.
niktemadur

So this is the Geico gnome, right? Or is that Priceline? At this point, my saturated mind can’t tell who or what is selling what anymore.
CLamb

I hope they tested to be sure the gnome was stable in all kinds of weather. If it absorbs moisture it could throw things off.
Guest

not bad for garden variety science. ;P
jaybar

It’s not that hard to do the math- the ellipticity of the earth should reduce the weight (not the mass!) of the gnome by about 0.6% (simply due to the larger distance to the center of mass) and the centripetal acceleration experienced at the equator should lower the effective weight by about another 0.3%, for a total reduction of about 1%. So a 1kg gnome should appear to weight about 10g less at the equator than at the poles.
nemryn

next step: send it up in a rocket something something Half-Life.
Nathan G

Expedia’s Traveling Gnome, “THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!”