The Strange Scientific Reason People Weigh More In Illinois Than Indiana
The earth is full of strange things, and they aren't all ancient man-made mysteries or tacky tourist traps. Take the bizarre gravitational difference between Illinois and Indiana, which causes a measurable difference in how much you (or any object with mass, really) will weigh in one location versus the other.
It's not just those two states, either. Similar effects have been documented all over the world across multiple continents, mountains, valleys, and even oceans. Outside of measurable weight differences, these shifts can lead to other small changes, such as throwing off the synchronization of pendulums or causing the ocean itself to bulge.
The short answer is "anomalies" — basically, sometimes weird things break from the scientific norm, either for unknown reasons or due to circumstance. But the more specific reason this happens is due to a combination of physics and the fact that the earth itself isn't a perfectly smooth sphere.
So what's the deal?
Gravitational pull is mainly caused by the planet's mass, but its rotation also affects it slightly – to the point that there is a slight difference at the poles versus the equator (because it spins faster at the equator). Small changes are also caused by the gravitational ebb and flow of both the moon and the sun.
Topography and geology are much bigger factors, however, with the overall distance between the surface to the earth's core — which is generally greater at the equator versus the poles but can also be affected by higher or lower altitudes — and the density of the subsurface rocks beneath your feet causing a slight shift in gravitational pull.
All of these factors have led to objects weighing more in some areas in southern Illinois due to the stronger gravity. Conversely, some locations across Indiana and Ohio have less than the average amount of gravitational pull, so things weigh a bit less. However, don't expect to jump like a modern-day superhero if you grew up in Illinois and moved to Ohio — the weight difference equates to roughly 0.01 percent, so the average human will only be about 0.02 pounds lighter.