Weighing the World

Description:  The Schiehallion experiment was an attempt to measure the mass of the earth using a pendulum and a mountain (Mount Schiehallion). The mass of the mountain was approximated and the deflection of a pendulum due to the gravitational force of the mountain was measured. Students could attempt to do the calculations or even repeat the experiment on a nearby mountain.

Web Resource:  Schiehallion Experiment - Wikipedia

In July 2005 a modern recreation of Maskelyne's famous Schiehallion experiment was attempted, using simple school science equipment to achieve in one day what had originally taken cutting edge apparatus and 17 weeks of astronomical observation. This is footage from BBC Newsnight Scotland reporting the attempt on 27th July 2005.