Our equation for gravitational potential energy, Ug $=$ mgh$,$ assumes that the acceleration due to gravity is constant. Over significant distances, though, the acceleration due to gravity changes. A more correct equation is Ug $=-$Gm$1$m$2/$d$,$ where d is the distance between the centers of the two objects.An astronaut working outside the International Space Station drops his wrench, and over time its orbit deteriorates and it falls to Earth. Suppose the ISS is $6\mathrm{.}76$ x $1\mathrm{0^}6$ meters from Earth's center, the wrench has a mass of $0\mathrm{.}764$ kilograms, and Earth's surface is $6\mathrm{.}38$ x $1\mathrm{0^}6$ meters from Earth's center. According to Ug $=$ mgh$,$ the change in the wrench's gravitational potential energy is $-2\mathrm{.}85$e$^+06$ joules.What is the change in the wrench's gravitational potential energy according to the more correct equation? Earth's mass is $5\mathrm{.}98$ x $10\mathrm{^2}4$ kilograms. Recall that a change in a quantity is the final value minus the initial value.

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The question is asking for the change in the wrenchs gravitational potential energy according to the more accurate equation Ug Gm1m2d where d is the d... View the full answer