The acceleration due to gravity at a depth d below the earth's surface is given by:
gd=g(1−Rd)
The acceleration due to gravity at a height h above the earth's surface (for h≪R) is given by:
gh=g(1−R2h)
Given d=16 km and h=16 km, we can find the values of gd and gh:
gd=g(1−640016)=g(1−4001)
gh=g(1−64002×16)=g(1−4002)
The magnitude of the change in acceleration due to gravity when moving from the depth d to the height h is:
Δg=gd−gh=g(1−4001)−g(1−4002)
Δg=g(4002−4001)=400g
The percentage change in g is approximately:
gΔg×100=g400g×100=400100=0.25%
Thus, the value of α is 0.25.
Answer: 0.25