Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 21–24 (1986)Equivalence of active and passive gravitational mass using the moonReceived 24 February 1986; published in the issue dated 7 July 1986 A limit is established for the violation of the equality of passive and active gravitational mass. Our test is based on an asymmetry in the composition of the moon. We hypothesize that the 2-km offset between the moon’s center of figure and center of mass indicates an asymmetry in the distribution of Fe and Al. Unless the Fe on one side and the Al on the other attract each other with the same force, the moon will not be in the orbit predicted by classical mechanics. Using the results from laser ranging and a model for the moon’s interior we find that the ratios of active to passive mass for Fe and Al are the same to a precision of 4×10-12. © 1986 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.57.21
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.57.21
PACS:
04.80.+z, 04.20.Me, 96.20.Jz
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