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0 votes
3 answers
76 views

Gravitational potential energy definition

"Gravitational potential energy of a system of masses is defined as the negative of the work done by gravitational force in bringing the masses from infinity to that configuration" ~ the ...
Venu Gopal Dash's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
385 views

Gravitational Equipotentials

Can someone explain why the answer is B? I have flaws and inconsistencies within my knowledge. In terms of how, it lies halfway between the two equipotential lines, so travels a distance of $r/2$, as ...
mgcgian's user avatar
  • 31
0 votes
3 answers
104 views

Understanding Electric and Gravitational Potentials

I have spent a lot of time trying to understand potentials (gravitational and electrical) and I can't grasp it. I understand that it is the work in bringing a point mass (or charge) from infinity to a ...
ED2468's user avatar
  • 75
1 vote
1 answer
307 views

Interpretation of gravitational potential in 2+1D

From Gauss's law of gravity reduced to 2+1 dimensions, one can easily show that the gravitational force follows an inverse law, i.e. $$ \mathbf{F}(\mathbf{r}) =- \frac{G m M}{|\mathbf{r}|}\hat{\mathbf{...
sleepingrabbit's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
159 views

How does gravitational potential relate to gravitational acceleration?

I've been wondering about what the gravitational potential V actually tells us, and how it relates to gravitational force and/or acceleration. The formula is $V = -\frac{GM}{r}$. I did some ...
Kalle Anka's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
377 views

What is the gravitational potential due to two masses around one point?

Knowing that the formula for gravitational potential is the following. $$V = -\frac{GM}{r}.$$ We take two masses in between one point let us say T. One mass is m and another 24m. Let us say that the ...
Teodoras Paura's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
150 views

Trying to understand gravitational force equation

I don't understand the red underlined equations but I understand gravitational force equation in simpler form. Can anyone please explain the equations? Source An Introduction to Celestial Mechanics by ...
baron jary's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
239 views

Direct calculation of the gravitational potential inside a hollow sphere

I calculated the gravitational potential inside a massive sphere with constant density and got the result: $$\Phi = -2\pi G\rho R^2 + \frac{2}{3}\pi G\rho R_p^2$$ Where $R$ is the radius of the sphere ...
Claudio Saspinski's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
938 views

Relation Between Gravitational Potential and Acceleration due to gravity

I have always had this question in mind. I know expression for gravitational potential is given as $$V=-\frac{GM}{r}$$ While acceleration due to gravity is given as $$g=\frac{GM}{r}$$ So i assume $$V=-...
Cover Spot's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
546 views

Gravitational field strength between equipotential lines

Is the gravitational field strength between two equipotential lines the same at all distances? For example, in the image, does point P experience the same gravitational field strength as a point ...
Blue Green's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
96 views

Infinite gravitational potential question

For this question I use Newtonian gravity only. Relativistic gravitational/kinematic effects are ignored. It is known that the gravity surrounding a point particle of mass $M$ can be described by ...
user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
127 views

Calculating the gravitational potential of a plane

I'm trying to prove that the potential generated by a infinitesimally thin surface density with constant $\Sigma$ at $z = 0$ is equal to $$\Phi = 2 \pi G \Sigma |z|$$ using Poisson's equation $$\nabla^...
bajotupie's user avatar
  • 133
-1 votes
3 answers
178 views

Why gravitational potential away from a planet increases?

textbooks---- "potential increases towards infinity and is maximum at infinity" But that is true only when we are seeing potential w.r.t Earth EXPLANATION--------- So , as we know that ...
TPL's user avatar
  • 444
2 votes
2 answers
238 views

Intuition behind gravitational potential

Gravitational potential at a point is equal to work done in bringing a unit mass from infinity to a particular point That was the text book definition $$V_{p} = -\frac{GM}{r}$$ If we calculate $V_p$ ...
Rambal heart remo's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
875 views

Analytical solution to Poisson's equation for gravity

I am studying Poisson's equation for gravity. $$\nabla^2 \varphi = 4\pi G\rho$$ I have read that it is solved analytically using some Green's function, to give the well known formula of potential $$ \...
Owl0223's user avatar
  • 13

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