8.14 Gravitational Binding Energy

We have seen that if a particle of mass \(m\) placed on the earth is given an energy \(\frac{1}{2} m u^2=\frac{G M m}{R}\) or more, it finally escapes from earth. The minimum energy needed to take the particle infinitely away from the earth is called the binding energy of the earth-particle system. Thus, the binding energy of the earth-particle system is \(\frac{G M m}{R}\).