Gravitational potential energy

[heinrich]

if we think the height of a matter reaches over the radius of the Earth how will the potential energy of it change?
when height of it approaches infinite from zero how will be the graph of gravitational potential energy-height?
thank you

 

[russ_watters]

Is this homework? Do you know the equation for potential energy? Graph it!

edit: actually, since g changes with distance for large distances, you'll want to insert the equation for g into it.

 

[Shooting Star]

Somehow I don't feel this was a HW question.

The PE of the Earth's grav field is -GM/r, where r is the dist from the centre. As r increases, GM/r decreases, and so -GM/r increases. As r tends to infinity, the PE tends to zero, which is the maximum value, through negative values, .

The graph between PE and r is a rectangular hyperbola.

 

[granpa]

the law of conservation of energy states that energy is never created or destroyed. it just changes from one form to another. good thing they invented negative energy to rescue this rule.

 

[Shooting Star]

Actually, it sort of got invented by itself, when we called pull a negative push.

 

[sandoko]

i agree with shooting star...you can easily see it from the work energy theorem...