Determination of the Gravitational Constant with a Beam Balance

Abstract

The Newtonian gravitational constant $G$ was determined by means of a novel beam-balance experiment with an accuracy comparable to that of the most precise torsion-balance experiments. The gravitational force of two stainless steel tanks filled with 13 521 kg mercury on 1.1 kg test masses was measured using a commercial mass comparator. A careful analysis of the data and the experimental error yields $G=6.67407(22)\times {10}^{-11}{\mathrm{m}}^3{\mathrm{k}\mathrm{g}}^{-1}{\mathrm{s}}^{-2}$. This value is in excellent agreement with most values previously obtained with different methods.