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TASPhysicsQuick questions
Unit 3: Gravity and Electromagnetism
Quick questions on Gravitational potential energy and fields - TCE Physics (Tasmania)
2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is work done moving through the field?Show answer
The work needed to move a mass between two points equals the change in its gravitational potential energy:
What are field-distance graphs?Show answer
If you plot gravitational field strength against distance , the area under the graph between two radii gives the change in gravitational potential per unit mass. Because the field follows an inverse-square curve, this area is found by integration or by reading values, and it confirms that most of the energy to escape a planet is spent close to the surface where the field is strongest.
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