Pat Naughtin wrote in USMA 23465:
As a side issue, you might like to compare this last average with the apple
that is supposed to have fallen on Sir Isaac Newton's head in his garden at
Woolsthorpe. Presumably Newton's apple had a weight of one newton, and we
can safely assume that the acceleration due to gravity was about the same as
now (say 9.8 m/s^2). Using the formula F = ma, it follows that the mass of
Newton's apple was m = F/m = 1 � 9.8 = 102 grams. It follows that Isaac
Newton's original apple (allowing certain assumptions) was quite small.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin CAMS
Geelong, Australia
It is a pity that it was only after 280 years that Le Comit�
International des Poids et Mesures recognized that Newto's apple had
a weight of 1 newton. There is a misprint in Pat's posting; he meant
m = F/g.
Joseph B. Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8 Telephone 416-486-6071
