How Did the Cavendish Experiment First Measure Gravity?

💡 The Answer

• In 1798, Henry Cavendish used a torsion balance to measure the gravitational constant G.
• He observed the tiny attraction between lead spheres suspended in a laboratory.
• The experiment is famously called 'weighing the Earth' because it determined Earth's mass.
• Cavendish's setup was extraordinarily sensitive, detecting forces as small as 0.0001 grams.