If the gravitational field strength at a point is 10 N/kg, what is the gravitational potential at that point assuming it is at infinity?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
If the gravitational field strength at a point is 10 N/kg, what is the gravitational potential at that point assuming it is at infinity?
0 J/kg
-10 J/kg
10 J/kg
-5 J/kg
The gravitational potential is negative and is given by V = -g * r. At infinity, V approaches 0, so at a field strength of 10 N/kg, V = -10 J/kg.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: If the gravitational field strength at a point is 10 N/kg, what is the gravitational potential at that point assuming it is at infinity?
Solution: The gravitational potential is negative and is given by V = -g * r. At infinity, V approaches 0, so at a field strength of 10 N/kg, V = -10 J/kg.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Understand that gravitational field strength (g) is given as 10 N/kg.
Step 2: Know that gravitational potential (V) is calculated using the formula V = -g * r, where r is the distance from the center of the mass creating the gravitational field.
Step 3: Recognize that at infinity, the distance (r) is very large, and the gravitational potential approaches 0.
Step 4: Since we are given g as 10 N/kg, we can substitute this value into the formula.
Step 5: Calculate V at a point where r is effectively infinite: V = -10 * (infinity) which approaches 0.
Step 6: However, we are interested in the potential at a point where the gravitational field strength is 10 N/kg, which gives us V = -10 J/kg.
