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In this analysis, Peter Reinhardt presents an experiment aimed at detecting fluctuations in lunar gravity, originally anticipated to show a sine wave pattern. However, the measured expected amplitude deviated significantly, leading to a deeper investigation into potential causes for weight variation. Daily and weekly trends reveal notable differences in gravity fluctuation patterns, influenced by temperature and time of day. Notably, weekend stability contrasts with daily spikes correlating with school hours. This study highlights factors impacting precision in gravity measurements and underscores the importance of stable power sources for ongoing research.
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“Moon Gravity” Experiment Analysis Peter Reinhardt
Original Purpose • Detect Moon via fluctuations in gravity • Expected a sine wave with an amplitude of a few 100 micrograms for a ~100 gram mass
Oops • Expected amplitude was off by 10^6 • Gravity fluctuations are nearly unmeasurable
What causes the variation in weight? • Room temperature? • Lighting? • Air currents? • Power fluctuations? Note: Overall fluctuation is about 0.001%
Weekly Fluctuations • Very flat on weekends • 8-hour spikes become more noticeable • Daily fluctuations on school days
Weekly Conclusions • Weekend/school day differences suggest heating causes the large fluctuations • Lighting and power fluctuations are not terribly different between the two types of days • Air currents are unlikely to be as consistent as the data trends
Daily Fluctuations • Level during early morning • Low during day • High after school
Daily Conclusions • Morning: Heat comes on, spring warms and softens slightly • Afternoon: Heat turns off, spring cools and hardens slightly. Micro-dew forms on the copper. • Late night: Micro-dew slowly evaporates.
8-hour Spikes • Very regular, 8 hour 10 minute period • Power fluctuations? • “Smart Energy is an industry poised for significant growth because of growing demands for "premium power" (electricity free from fluctuations and interruptions) “
Long term trends • Measured mass slowly falls from 103.1335 to 103.1330 over the 50 day period • Spring stretching? • Copper “evaporating”?