Two objects have masses of 9MG and 5MG. How much does the gravitational potential energy between the objects change if the distance between them changes from 500m to 20m?

1 Answer
reudhreghs
Mar 5, 2017

7.488×10−6N

Explanation:

The equation for gravitational potential energy (G.P.E) between two bodies is

U=Gm1m2r2

where U is G.P.E, m is the mass, and r is the distance. G is known as the gravitational constant and is approximately 6.67×10−11.

Putting in values that we know, the initial G.P.E is

U=6.67×10−11×9×103×5×1035002=1.2×10−8N

and the final G.P.E is

U=6.67×10−11×9×103×5×103202=7.5×10−6N

so the total change in G.P.E is

7.5×10−6−1.2×10−8=7.488×10−6N

Related questions
See all questions in Newton's Law of Gravitation
Impact of this question
1682 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License