A New Experiment for the Determination of the Newtonian Gravitational Constant

Abstract

Measurements of the Newtonian gravitational constant yielded the value G = 6.667 × 10-11 Nm2 kg-2 with a 1σ uncertainty of ± 7 × 10-4. The report describes the set-up and function of the measuring equipment. The basic principle underlying the experiment is the classical principle of the torsion balance. New components are the mercury bearing of the balance beam and the control system with a quadrant electrometer according to Maxwell, which compensates the gravitational forces. The uncertainty of the measurement results and the intended improvements are discussed.