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--- 183_notes:newton_grav_pe [2021/04/01 12:53] – [Gravitational Potential Energy] stumptyl
+++ 183_notes:newton_grav_pe [2021/04/01 12:54] (current) – [Newtonian Gravitational Potential Energy] stumptyl
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==== (Near Earth) Gravitational Potential Energy ====
-Earlier, you read how the gravitational potential energy for a system consisting of two objects (the Earth and something on the surface of the Earth) is given by,
+Earlier, you read how the gravitational potential energy (J) for a system consisting of two objects (the Earth and something on the surface of the Earth) is given by,
  $\Delta U_{grav} = +mg\Delta y$
-where the separation distance ( $\Delta y$ ) is measured from the surface of the Earth. In this previous calculation, you assumed that the gravitational force was a constant ( $\vec{F}_{grav} = \langle 0,-mg,0\rangle$ ) over the distances that you were considering. This is an approximation, but it's not a bad one for the most part.
+where the separation distance ( $\Delta y$ ) is measured from the surface of the Earth. __In this previous calculation, you assumed that the gravitational force was a constant ( $\vec{F}_{grav} = \langle 0,-mg,0\rangle$ ) over the distances that you were considering.__ This is an approximation, but it's not a bad one for the most part.
 However, you will relax this condition now, because as you have read, that [[183_notes:gravitation|the gravitational force between two objects with mass is not a constant vector]].
-==== Newtonian Gravitational Potential Energy ====
+===== Newtonian Gravitational Potential Energy =====
 In general, the gravitational force exerted on a object of mass  $m_1$  due to an object of mass  $m_2$  is non-constant,
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 So for this force, what is the gravitational potential energy?
-=== Solve the 1-dimensional problem first ===
+==== Solve the One-Dimensional Problem First ====
 Remember that the potential energy change is the negative change in the internal work ( $\Delta U = -W_{int}$ ). So, you can calculate what the work done by the gravitational force would be and use that to determine that change in potential energy in going from location 1 to location 2,