At what point in space is the gravitational potential energy of an object zero?
Practice Questions
Q1
At what point in space is the gravitational potential energy of an object zero?
At the center of the Earth
At infinity
At the surface of the Earth
At the Moon
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
At what point in space is the gravitational potential energy of an object zero?
Step 1: Understand what gravitational potential energy is. It is the energy an object has due to its position in a gravitational field.
Step 2: Recognize that gravitational potential energy depends on the distance from a mass (like Earth).
Step 3: Realize that as you move further away from a mass, the gravitational pull decreases.
Step 4: At a very large distance (infinity), the gravitational pull becomes negligible.
Step 5: Therefore, at infinity, the gravitational potential energy is considered to be zero.
Gravitational Potential Energy – The energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field, which is often defined to be zero at an infinite distance from the mass creating the field.
Reference Point – The choice of a reference point is crucial in determining potential energy; in gravitational contexts, infinity is commonly used.