Explain the escape energy of a body of mass $m$ lying on the surface of the Earth.

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) The escape energy of a body is defined as the minimum energy required to move the body from the surface of the Earth to infinity,such that its final kinetic energy at infinity is zero.
The gravitational potential energy $U$ of a body of mass $m$ at the surface of the Earth (at distance $R_E$ from the center) is given by:
$U = -\frac{GM_Em}{R_E}$
To move the body to infinity,where the potential energy is zero,we must provide an amount of energy equal to the magnitude of this potential energy.
Therefore,the escape energy $E_e$ is:
$E_e = -U = -\left(-\frac{GM_Em}{R_E}\right) = +\frac{GM_Em}{R_E}$
This energy is typically provided in the form of kinetic energy to the body to allow it to escape the Earth's gravitational pull.

Explore More

Similar Questions

Maximum height reached by a rocket fired with a speed equal to $50 \%$ of the escape speed from the surface of the earth is ($R$ - Radius of the earth).

$A$ body is projected from the earth's surface with thrice the escape velocity. What will be its velocity when it escapes the gravitational pull?

The escape velocity for a body projected vertically upwards from the surface of earth is $11.2 \ km/s$. If the body is projected at an angle of $45^o$ with the vertical,the escape velocity will be ......... $km/s$.

The ratio of the kinetic energy required to be given to a satellite to escape from the Earth's surface to the kinetic energy required to be given to the same satellite to revolve around the Earth in an orbit just above the Earth's surface is ...........

The masses and radii of the Earth and Moon are $M_1, R_1$ and $M_2, R_2$ respectively. Their centers are at a distance $d$ apart. The minimum velocity with which a particle of mass $m$ should be projected from a point midway between their centers so that it escapes to infinity is:

Difficult
View Solution

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo