what do you understand by gravitational potential energy of a body? drive an expression for it, when a body of mass m is situated at a distance r from the centre of the earth of mass M
When a body of mass (m) is moved from infinity to a point inside the gravitational influence of a source mass (M) without accelerating it, the amount of work done in displacing it into the source field is stored in the form of?potential energy?this is known as gravitational potential energy. It is represented with the symbol Ug.
Explanation:?We know that the potential energy of a body at a given position is defined as the energy stored in the body at that position. If the position of the body changes due to the application of external forces the change in potential energy is equal to the amount of work done on the body by the forces.
Under the action of gravitational force, the work done is independent of the path taken for a change in position so the force is a?conservative force. Besides, all such forces have some potential in them.
The gravitational influence on a body at infinity is zero, therefore, potential energy is zero, which is called a reference point.
Explanation:?We know that the potential energy of a body at a given position is defined as the energy stored in the body at that position. If the position of the body changes due to the application of external forces the change in potential energy is equal to the amount of work done on the body by the forces.
Under the action of gravitational force, the work done is independent of the path taken for a change in position so the force is a?conservative force. Besides, all such forces have some potential in them.
The gravitational influence on a body at infinity is zero, therefore, potential energy is zero, which is called a reference point.
