Matter or not?

[marlonski]

Scientists tell us there are thousands of tonnes of space debris falling on earth every year.Does that mean Earth is getting heavier?

[delboy3]

Well, yes... and also the increase in human population must add more weight, too

[Loosehead]

The space debris is adding weight, the increase in population isn't

[theren_911]

Meteors etc will make us heavier, but a rise in the human population? I think not. We are made from the earth we dont add any more weight.

[delboy3]

So we're all born weighing 12 stone or whatever??? And popping out of the ground??? Get real.

[Catso]

If by debris you mean bits of spacecraft, then obviously no.

If you mean space dust then:
"Daily the Earth is bombarded by 80 to 100 metric tons of microscopic space dust (in the form of 10-5 gm particles)" - quote from NASA.
IE yes.

[Loosehead]

Oh dear delboy oh dear. Any matter in our bodies was already on the earth before it was in our bodies. What do you think happenned? Scotty beamed it in from sub space? I suggest perhaps someone else may need to "get real".

[JustSia]

Unless you are a creationist delboy3, you can't produce matter out of nothing, just like you can't create energy out of nothing. To make it more simple read up on 3 Laws of Thermodynamics. I.E.:

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, although it can be converted from one form to another.

Whenever a quantity of one form of energy disappears, an equivalent amount of energy of another form appears.

The total energy of an isolated system remains constant, whatever changes take place within the system.

[mibn2cweus]

To put this in some perspective, assuming a rate of accretion of 100 metric tons annually:

The total surface area of the Earth is about 510 000 000 square kilometers (~ 200 000 000 square miles). For an accretion rate of 100 ton/year this results in about one gram per square kilometer every five years.

In relation to the total mass of the Earth (~ 6 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 kilograms), an accretion rate of 100 ton/year will contribute an addition of one part in one million, million, million of the Earth�s mass every 60 years.

In relation to the Earth at lot of matter does not necessarily matter a lot. On the other hand if it hit all at once as one big asteroid . . .

[gen2]

As more mass accretes on the Earth's surface, it will have the effect of slowing the earth down (conservation of momentum). Unfortunately you will not be able to detect that because it will be swamped by the effect of tidal friction which will slow the Earth down by a much greater degree.

[Loosehead]

What's happenned to delboy? Little sheepish are we?

[delboy3]

Actually I went home, Loosehead. And your argument still doesn't stand but then again most of them don't. What I'm saying is that as we get older, we gather more mass (i.e. get heavier)(especially in the USA) so surely as the human population steadily increases, this would also increase the earth's mass - albeit to a minuscule degree. Why you would state that all of our body mass is "already here" before we are born and before we grow up just doesn't make sense.

[marlonski]

Ta for those reply's .I didn't want to start a fight. I bet your best of friends really !!!!!

[drestie]

delboy - excatly where do you think the mass that we acquire as we grow larger comes from? Stop and think about that for a minute. Or look up nutrient cycles such as the carbon cycle. No need to attack another ABer just because you don't understand something.

[Loosehead]

So the extra weight as we grow comes from outer space does it delboy? I think my arguments stand up a bit better than you think.

Just engage you brain for a minute, we are made of atoms of the elements. Any part of you body was already on earth It adds no mass to the planets.

Can someone else try a different angle I think I've taken on a level of density beyond my ability to explain here!

[Loosehead]

So the extra weight as we grow comes from outer space does it delboy? I think my arguments stand up a bit better than you think.

Just engage your brain for a minute, we are made of atoms of the elements. Any part of your body was already on earth It adds no mass to the planet.

Can someone else try a different angle I think I've taken on a level of density beyond my ability to explain here!

[Loosehead]

dunno what happenned there!

[drestie]

It was so important, it had to be said twice, loosehead ;-)

[JustSia]

I think delboy should act as a McDonalds representative. 'Our food doesn't make you fat, space dust does!'

[mibn2cweus]

Doing his part to make the world a lighter place . . .

. . . no matter gained here

[delboy3]

OK, I concede on this one. I had only made a suggestion without researching it and got swiped with a sarky fish. I just couldn't see how an increasing biological mass had no effect on the mass of its host.

The donuts are on me...
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