Potential Energy
Potential Energy is the ability of a body to perform a job according to the configuration it has in the system of bodies that exert forces on each other, that is, the potential energy is the energy that is capable of generating a job as a consequence of the position of a body. The same can be considered as the energy stored in the system or the measurement of a job that the system can offer. Then, it is assumed that when a body is mobilized in relation to a certain reference level it will be able to accumulate energy.
Gravitational potential energy
Everybody subjected to the action of a gravitational field has a gravitational potential energy, which depends only on the position of the body and can easily be transformed into kinetic energy. A classic example of gravitational potential energy is a body located at a certain height h above the earth's surface. The value of the gravitational potential energy would then be given by:
Gravity, Historical Importance
According to the approach of Albert Einstein, in 1915 gravity is an illusion and not a force of attraction. "Gravity is an effect of geometry. The earth disfigures the space-time of our context, in such a way that space itself pushes us towards the ground ". This apprehension of gravity belongs to Einstein's theory of general relativity. However, the classical definition of gravity is that formulated by Isaac Newton, where it is stated that "two bodies with mass, whatever they are, attract one towards the other with force". It is the force that causes things to fall and it is also the same force that causes the planets to orbit around the Sun. It is one of the four elementary interactions of the universe and the larger an object is, the greater the force, the greater gravitational pull there will be. In other words, we can define gravity as a field of influence because we observe it in the universe and although many scientists claim that it has a composition claiming that it is made of particles (gravitons) that travel at the speed of light, we do not really know what it is or how it really is composed, we only know how it behaves.
Newton's Gravitational Law
The English physicist, mathematician, philosopher and inventor Sir Isaac Newton was the one who proposed the law of universal gravitation or theory of gravity. Newton affirmed that every object that has mass exerts a gravitational attraction on any other object with mass, beyond the distance between them. The greater the mass, the greater the force of attraction; On the other hand, the greater the closeness between objects, the greater the force of attraction. It is a mathematical theory easy to understand. In essence, according to its postulates, objects are attracted according to their mass and the distance between their centers: if the distance increases, the force decreases, and if the mass increases, the force is more intense. Consequently, when Newton's theory predicts that force increases with mass.
If we observe any phenomenon around us we can appreciate that changes occur, which take place by the effect of some form of energy. The potential energy allows us to understand the position of anybody or object within a field of forces. The mathematical formulation of potential energy allows us to better understand the idea of movement in any of its forms. Thus, this form of energy is related to the movement of a subatomic particle, to the movement of the planets or to the trajectory of an arrow. The idea of potential energy refers to the energy "stored" in a body, which can be mobilized. When a body is already moving, this is a case of kinetic energy. This implies that the potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy (the potential term is used because it is an energy that is not a reality but a potentiality).