Gravitational Self Energy
The work done by an external agent in collecting the infinitesimal elements of a body that are initially at an infinite distance from each other is defined as Gravitational Self Energy
Gravitational Self-Energy of the system of ‘n’ Particles
Gravitational Self-Energy of the system of ‘n’ particles is calculated as Let’s consider n particle system where particles interact with each other and their average distance is ‘r’. They interact with each other mutually due to their gravitational force.
The total interactions between them are n(n – 1)/2 and the potential energy of the system is equal to the sum of the potential energy of all the pairs of particles, which is calculated as,
Us = 1/2 × [Gn(n-1)m2] / r2
Gravitational Potential Energy
The energy possessed by objects due to changes in their position in a gravitational field is called Gravitational Potential Energy. It is the energy of the object due to the gravitational forces. The work done per unit mass to bring the body from infinity to a location inside the gravitational field of any object is known as gravitational potential and the energy change here is called Gravitational Potential Energy. Let’s learn about Gravitational Potential Energy in detail in this article.