Table of Contents
- 1 What is absolute gravitational potential energy?
- 2 What is the expression for absolute potential energy?
- 3 What is difference between potential and potential difference?
- 4 Is the change in gravitational potential energy independent of the path?
- 5 What is the gravitational potential at the center of the sphere?
What is absolute gravitational potential energy?
Absolute potential energy is defined as the amount of work that needs to be done to bring an object to its current location from a point of infinite distance. Absolute potential energy can also be defined as the energy needed for an object to reach escape velocity.
What is the gravitational potential of Earth?
Numerical values
| Location | W.r.t. Earth | W.r.t. Milky Way |
|---|---|---|
| Earth’s surface | 60 MJ/kg | ≥ 130 GJ/kg |
| LEO | 57 MJ/kg | ≥ 130 GJ/kg |
| Voyager 1 (17,000 million km from Earth) | 23 J/kg | ≥ 130 GJ/kg |
| 0.1 light-year from Earth | 0.4 J/kg | ≥ 130 GJ/kg |
What is the expression for absolute potential energy?
Show that the gravitational potential energy of an object of mass m at height h on Earth is given by PEg = mgh.
Is there a difference between gravitational potential energy and potential energy?
Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object or substance. Gravitational potential energy is energy in an object that is held in a vertical position.
What is difference between potential and potential difference?
Electric Potential is the work done per unit charge in order to bring the charge from infinity to a point in electric field while Electric potential difference is the Potential developed while moving a charge from one point to another in the field itself.
What is the difference between potential energy and gravitational potential?
Potential energy is a property of a system rather than of a single object—due to its physical position. An object’s gravitational potential is due to its position relative to the surroundings within the Earth-object system. The force applied to the object is an external force, from outside the system.
Is the change in gravitational potential energy independent of the path?
The change in gravitational potential energy (ΔPEg) between points A and B is independent of the path. ΔPEg=mgh for any path between the two points. Gravity is one of a small class of forces where the work done by or against the force depends only on the starting and ending points, not on the path between them.
What is the dimensional formula for gravitational potential?
The gravitational potential at a point is always negative, V is maximum at infinity. The SI unit of gravitational potential is J/Kg. The dimensional formula is M 0 L 2 T -2. k^ (components along x, y and z directions).
What is the gravitational potential at the center of the sphere?
Case 4: Gravitational potential at the centre of the solid sphere is given by V =(-3/2) × (GM/R). Gravitational Self Energy The gravitational self-energy of a body is defined as the work done by an external agent in assembling the body from the infinitesimal elements that are initially at an infinite distance apart.