Starting from the surface of a spherical planet, the gravitational potential at a point a distance - r - from the centre of mass of the planet is given by V = -GM / r where M is the mass of the planet.This means that the gravitational potential at a point is inversely proportional to the distance from the centre of mass of the planet of radius R.
Gravitational Potential.
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Specification: Edexcel Physics (9PH0), A-level, Topic 12: Gravitational Fields. Topic: Gravitational Fields.
Key terms in this lesson
- lepton number
- A quantum number assigned +1 to leptons, -1 to antileptons and 0 to other particles, conserved in every interaction.
More in Gravitational Fields
- Gravitational Potential.
- Equipotentials.
- The potential gradient.
- Newton's Law of Gravitation.
- Gravitational Field Strength - g.
- Potential Gradients
- Area Under a Force vs Distance Graph
- Satellites
All 14 lessons in Gravitational Fields · All Edexcel A-level Physics topics