If gravity suddenly disappeared on Earth, everything with mass would become a rapidly moving tumbleweed.
Immediate Consequences
According to provided information, the immediate consequence of Earth losing its gravity would be catastrophic:
- Unrestrained Movement: Humans, cars, buildings, and all other objects with mass would no longer be held down.
- High-Speed Trajectory: The lack of gravitational pull would cause these objects to become projectiles, essentially turning them into fast-moving tumbleweeds.
Detailed Breakdown
Let's break down what this entails:
- Objects Detaching from the Surface: Without gravity anchoring us to the ground, everything not firmly attached would begin to float upwards. This includes people, furniture, and even loose parts of buildings.
- Earth's Rotation Factor: Earth is constantly rotating. Without gravity to keep everything grounded, this rotation would impart a horizontal velocity to floating objects. This horizontal velocity, combined with the lack of downward pull, would result in objects moving in a straight line relative to their starting point on Earth.
- Tumbleweed Effect: Imagine a tumbleweed rolling across the desert, pushed by the wind. In this scenario, the "wind" is Earth's rotation and the "tumbleweed" is everything that was once held down by gravity. Because the Earth is rotating, these objects would not simply float straight up. Rather, they would be flung off the Earth's surface, tangentially, into space.
Table Summarizing the Effects
| Aspect | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Initial State | Everything on Earth is subject to gravitational pull. |
| Gravity Vanishes | The force anchoring objects to the Earth disappears. |
| Movement | Objects detach from the surface and begin to move according to Earth's rotational velocity. |
| Trajectory | Objects become fast-moving projectiles (tumbleweeds). |
| Overall Impact | Catastrophic; Earth's surface is no longer a stable environment. |
