Escape Velocity

created by Varun Rajagopal

space x

Escape velocity is defined as the minimum velocity required for an object to escape the gravitational force of a large object. The sum of an object's kinetic energy and its Gravitational potential energy is equal to zero. The gravitational potential energy is negative due to the fact that kinetic energy is always positive. The velocity of the object will be be zero at infinite distance from the centre of gravity. There is no net force on an object as it escapes and zero acceleration is perceived.

The Main Idea

The formula for escape velocity at a certain distance from a body is calculated by the formula Template:Cite book

[math]\displaystyle{ v_e = \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{r}}, }[/math]

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A Mathematical Model

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A Computational Model

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