This is part of the HSC Physics Syllabus Module 5: Adnaved Mechanics.
There are many applications of gravitational force & energy in outer space. In this post, we will derive quantitatively and apply the concepts of gravitational force and gravitational potential energy in radial gravitational fields to a variety of situations including:
- Escape velocity
Escape velocity
Escape velocity is the velocity at which an object orbiting around the earth will “escape” it’s orbit. This happens when the potential energy is equal to the kinetic energy.
KE = \frac{1}{2} mv^2 GPE = -G\frac{M m}{r}