A student of mass 60 kg rides in a research aircraft that can climb to high altitudes.
(i) Calculate the values of g at heights of 5 km and 10 km above the Earth’s surface. Take R=6.4×106 m and g=9.80 m/s2 at the surface.
(ii) Determine the difference in the student’s weight between the two heights calculated in part (i).
(iii) On a set of labelled axes, sketch qualitatively the variation of the student’s weight with height from the surface up to 100 km. Indicate clearly whether the curve is linear or non-linear in this range and justify your answer briefly.