To solve this problem you must apply the proccedure shown below:
1. You have the following information given in the problem: "...the weight of a person on or above the surface of the earth varies inversely as the square of the distance the person is from the center of the earth". Therefore, you can write the following equation, where [tex] W [/tex] is the weight, [tex] d [/tex] is the distance from the center of the earth and [tex] k [/tex] is the constant of proportionality:
[tex] W=\frac{k}{d^{2}} [/tex]
2. You can find the value of the constant of proportinality, by using the weight of the person and the distance given in the problem, and solve for the constant, as following:
[tex] 179=\frac{k}{(3,900)^{2}} \\ k=(2.72)(10^{9}) [/tex]
Therefore, the answer is: [tex] W=\frac{(2.72)(10^{9})}{d^{2}} [/tex]
