what is the formula for gravitational potential energy?
That depends upon whether you are talking about near the surface of the earth or farther away, where the gravitational force diminishes with the inverse square of the distance.
Near the Earth's surface, the gravitational potential energy is
P.E. = M g H,
where H is the height above some reference plane (such as sea level). M is the mass and g is the acceleration of gravity.
The formula for calculating gravitational potential energy is given by:
Potential energy (PE) = mass (m) × acceleration due to gravity (g) × height (h)
To find the formula for gravitational potential energy, you need to know three variables: mass (m), acceleration due to gravity (g), and height (h).
1. Mass (m): This refers to the amount of matter an object contains. It is typically measured in kilograms (kg).
2. Acceleration due to gravity (g): This represents the force of gravity acting on an object. It is constant and approximately equal to 9.8 meters per second squared (m/s²) on Earth.
3. Height (h): This refers to the vertical distance from a reference point to the object. It is measured in meters (m).
Once you have the values of mass, acceleration due to gravity, and height, you can simply multiply these three values together to calculate the gravitational potential energy.
For example, if you have a mass of 5 kg, a height of 10 meters, and an acceleration due to gravity of 9.8 m/s², you would use the formula as follows:
PE = 5 kg × 9.8 m/s² × 10 m = 490 Joules (J)
The answer, in this case, is 490 Joules, which represents the amount of potential energy possessed by the object due to its position in the gravitational field.