Complete the statement. Assume that Alec's mass did not change.
The gravitational potential energy stored between Alec and Earth () as he hiked toward the summit.
stayed the same decreased increased
Read the text about a person in motion.
Alec hiked up a tall mountain. He followed a trail all the way to the summit.
Gravitational potential energy is stored between any two objects. So, for every object on or near Earth, there is gravitational potential energy stored between the object and Earth.
The amount of gravitational potential energy stored between an object and Earth depends on the mass of the object. The amount of gravitational potential energy also depends on the distance between the object and the center of Earth. This distance increases when the object moves higher and decreases when the object moves lower.
If the distance between an object and the center of Earth changes, the gravitational potential energy stored between the object and Earth will change. The table below shows how this change can happen.
When an object's mass stays the same and its distance from the center of Earth... | Gravitational potential energy stored between the object and Earth...
increases | increases
decreases | decreases
stays the same | stays the same
Think about how the distance between Alec and the center of Earth changed.
The summit of the mountain was higher than the point where Alec started hiking. As he hiked toward the summit, the distance between Alec and the center of Earth increased. So, the gravitational potential energy stored between Alec and Earth increased as he hiked toward the summit.