Skip to main content
[Edit removed during grace period]; added 8 characters in body
Source Link
BioPhysicist
  • 58.5k
  • 19
  • 116
  • 193

Suppose we have a mass $m$ in space, and we then introduce a bigger mass $M$. both have no kinetic energy initially.

$M$ & $m$ attract, and move towards each other gaining some kinetic energies along the way. At this point in time, the overall energy of the system isn't 0.

Since Law of conservation of energy will always hold up, there is obviously some flaw here that I've overlooked.

What is that flaw?

Suppose we have a mass $m$ in space, and we then introduce a bigger mass $M$. both have no energy initially.

$M$ & $m$ attract, and move towards each other gaining some kinetic energies along the way. At this point in time, the overall energy of the system isn't 0.

Since Law of conservation of energy will always hold up, there is obviously some flaw here that I've overlooked.

What is that flaw?

Suppose we have a mass $m$ in space, and we then introduce a bigger mass $M$. both have no kinetic energy initially.

$M$ & $m$ attract, and move towards each other gaining some kinetic energies along the way. At this point in time, the overall energy of the system isn't 0.

Since Law of conservation of energy will always hold up, there is obviously some flaw here that I've overlooked.

What is that flaw?

Source Link
Kosh Rai
  • 163
  • 3
  • 11

Energy conservation with Newtonian gravitational fields

Suppose we have a mass $m$ in space, and we then introduce a bigger mass $M$. both have no energy initially.

$M$ & $m$ attract, and move towards each other gaining some kinetic energies along the way. At this point in time, the overall energy of the system isn't 0.

Since Law of conservation of energy will always hold up, there is obviously some flaw here that I've overlooked.

What is that flaw?