That's a very bad place to take your reference from because the GPE is proportional to 1/r and it is indeterminate (aka -Infinity) for r=0. The normal reference for GPE in general is Infinity (for which the GPE reference is 0 (1/∞) or Mean Sea Level when you are doing calculations on Earth.Pratik Saha said:
That is correct for an idealized Earth with all of its mass concentrated in the center (and maybe a thin shell we can stand on at 6000 km radius).sophiecentaur said:
Yes but how would we calibrate our Earthbound measuring machines without still referring to some 'standard' measurement point on Earth? Most space navigation problems get away with a reference at infinity but most Earthbound problems are solved by assuming a spherical Earth and then applying some correction to the value of g if necessary. Where is your 'here'?jbriggs444 said:
I am not a metrologist. I suspect that your point is entirely correct and that "the geoid" is used as the operational standard rather than "infinity" for many purposes.sophiecentaur said:
Thanks a lot! I was thinking the same bc the answer would come same btw 2 points in however reference I take it, but not to mention that calculation would be a bit hectic to formulate coz the visualization of such case is indeed unusual...sophiecentaur said:
A gravitational potential reference point is a location in space where the gravitational potential energy is defined as zero. It is a theoretical point used to measure the potential energy of an object in a gravitational field.
A gravitational potential reference point is determined by considering the gravitational forces acting on an object and finding the point where the potential energy is zero. This point can vary depending on the objects and their positions in the gravitational field.
The gravitational potential reference point is significant because it provides a standard for measuring gravitational potential energy. It allows scientists to compare the potential energy of objects in different locations and understand how they interact with each other in a gravitational field.
Yes, the gravitational potential reference point can change depending on the objects and their positions in the gravitational field. For example, the reference point on Earth's surface will be different from the reference point in space.
The gravitational potential reference point is directly related to the concept of escape velocity. The escape velocity is the minimum speed an object needs to escape the gravitational pull of a larger object. This escape velocity is measured from the gravitational potential reference point.