<P> The Cavendish experiment , performed in 1797 -- 1798 by British scientist Henry Cavendish , was the first experiment to measure the force of gravity between masses in the laboratory and the first to yield accurate values for the gravitational constant . Because of the unit conventions then in use , the gravitational constant does not appear explicitly in Cavendish 's work . Instead , the result was originally expressed as the specific gravity of the Earth , or equivalently the mass of the Earth . His experiment gave the first accurate values for these geophysical constants . </P>
<P> The Cavendish experiment , performed in 1797 -- 1798 by British scientist Henry Cavendish , was the first experiment to measure the force of gravity between masses in the laboratory and the first to yield accurate values for the gravitational constant . Because of the unit conventions then in use , the gravitational constant does not appear explicitly in Cavendish 's work . Instead , the result was originally expressed as the specific gravity of the Earth , or equivalently the mass of the Earth . His experiment gave the first accurate values for these geophysical constants . </P>
who conducted experiments to determine how much earth weighs
who conducted experiments to determine how much earth weighs
Henry Cavendish
Henry Cavendish