Gravitational potential is the amount of work required to bring a unit mass from infinity to a specific point in a gravitational field without acceleration. It is a scalar quantity, meaning it has magnitude but no direction.
Class 11 Physics
Gravitation
CBSE EXAM 2024-25
Gravitational potential at a point is the potential energy associated with a unit mass due to its position in the gravitational field of another body. It is defined as the work done in bringing a body of unit mass from infinity to that point.
Gravitational potential is a scalar quantity, meaning it has magnitude but no direction. Its SI unit is joules per kilogram (J/kg), and in CGS units, it is expressed in ergs per gram (erg/g).
The dimensional formula of gravitational potential is [M⁰ L² T⁻²], indicating its dependence on fundamental quantities such as mass, length, and time.