Is Gc (32.2 lbmft/lbfs^2) equal to gravity? I think it is, but I'm kinda confused about the whole concept. Could someone explain it to me? Thank you very much.
In English units, the acceleration of gravity near the surface of earth is about 32 feet/second^2 = g
When we used those units, we defined mass in slugs.
mass in slugs m = weight in pounds/g = weight in pounds/32
Then we could use Newton's second law
F = m a
where force is in pounds, mass is in slugs and a is acceleration in feet/second^2
In Physics we use SCI metric units these days.
Force in Newtons = mass in kilograms * acceleration in meters/second^2
The value you provided, Gc (32.2 lbmft/lbfs^2), is not equal to gravity. It actually represents the value of the gravitational constant in the English engineering system.
Gc is a conversion factor used to convert between different units of force and mass. It is defined as the product of the acceleration due to gravity (g) and the conversion factor between pound-force (lb_f) and pound-mass (lb_m). In the English engineering system, the force unit pound-force and the mass unit pound-mass are often used.
To understand this concept better, let's break it down:
1. Gravity (g): Gravity is a force that attracts objects towards the center of the Earth. Its standard acceleration value is approximately 32.2 ft/s^2 in the English engineering system. This means that for every second an object is in freefall near the Earth's surface, its speed increases by about 32.2 feet per second.
2. Pound-force (lb_f): Pound-force is the force exerted by a mass of one pound under the influence of normal gravity. In simple terms, it is the force required to accelerate a one-pound mass at the rate of 32.2 feet per second per second.
3. Pound-mass (lb_m): Pound-mass is the unit used to measure mass in the English engineering system. It is the mass that possesses a gravitational force equal to one pound-force when subjected to the acceleration due to gravity.
4. Gravitational constant (Gc): Gc is the conversion factor between pound-force and pound-mass. Its value is 32.2 lb_mft/lb_f s^2. It allows you to convert between different units of force and mass in the English engineering system.
To summarize, Gc is not equal to gravity but represents the conversion factor between the pound-force and pound-mass units. It helps engineers and scientists to convert between different units of force and mass in the English engineering system.