Question icon
Grade 11Mechanics

why gravitational energy for a system of particles is found by first finding the gravitational energy between individual particles and then adding it up? I mean to say why do we add up

Profile image of Rohit Singh
13 Years agoGrade 11
Answers icon

2 Answers

Profile image of Raunak Sudeep Taysheti
13 Years ago

because potential energy is scalar quantity

Profile image of Tejaswin Gumber
13 Years ago

It is a scalar quantity.

Basic laws of physics state that we can directly add or subtract scalar quantities.

If you put a mass of 10 kgs on a mass of 20 kgs, the total mass is 30 kgs.

We add up, because mass is a scalar quantity.

So is PE.