How does the gravitational potential energy of a system of two masses change as
Practice Questions
Q1
How does the gravitational potential energy of a system of two masses change as they move closer together?
It increases.
It decreases.
It remains constant.
It becomes zero.
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
How does the gravitational potential energy of a system of two masses change as they move closer together?
Step 1: Understand what gravitational potential energy is. It is the energy stored in an object due to its position in a gravitational field.
Step 2: Recognize that gravitational potential energy depends on the distance between two masses. The formula is U = -G(m1*m2)/r, where U is potential energy, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses, and r is the distance between them.
Step 3: Note that as the two masses move closer together, the distance r decreases.
Step 4: When r decreases, the value of -G(m1*m2)/r becomes more negative, which means the gravitational potential energy (U) decreases.
Step 5: Conclude that as the two masses get closer, their gravitational potential energy decreases.
Gravitational Potential Energy – The energy stored in a system due to the position of two masses relative to each other, which decreases as they come closer.
Inverse Relationship – The relationship between distance and gravitational potential energy, where potential energy decreases as distance decreases.
