Ideally, if the earth were a perfect sphere, the gravitational potential energy would be zero. In the center of a sphere all other points within the sphere have an equal and opposite counterpoint. They work to cancel each other out.
However, the earth is not a perfect sphere so there would likely be a gravitational pull towards the area with the greatest mass.
An object gains gravitational potential energy when it is raised above the Earth's surface. The increase in distance from the center of the Earth leads to an increase in potential energy due to the gravitational force between the object and the Earth.
The gravitational potential energy between an object and the Earth depends on the mass of the object, the acceleration due to gravity, and the distance between the object and the Earth's center. This potential energy is stored in the object because of its position in the Earth's gravitational field.
the distance between the object and the center of the Earth
You can change the gravitational potential energy of an object by altering its height or the strength of the gravitational field it is in. Increasing the height or the strength of the gravitational field will increase the gravitational potential energy, while decreasing either will decrease the gravitational potential energy.
Gravitational potential energy - it depends on the distance from the centre of gravity, so on Earth it depends on the height above the Earth's surface
The gravitational potential at the center of the Earth is zero because all the mass of the Earth is above this point, exerting gravitational force in all directions and creating a balanced potential field.
The weight and height of an object on Earth give it gravitational potential energy. This type of potential energy is based on the object's position in a gravitational field relative to the surface of the Earth.
The gravitational potential at Earth's surface is considered to be zero as it is the reference point from which gravitational potential energy is measured. Any object at Earth's surface has the potential to fall due to gravity, and this potential energy is typically defined as zero at Earth's surface for convenience in calculations.
You can increase the gravitational potential energy between yourself and the Earth by increasing your height above the Earth's surface. This is because gravitational potential energy depends on the distance between two objects. By moving to a higher position, you are increasing the distance between yourself and the Earth, thus increasing the gravitational potential energy.
Potential energy
An object will have the greatest gravitational potential energy when it has a large mass and is positioned far away from the center of the gravitational field, such as at a great height above the surface of the Earth. This combination of features results in a greater gravitational force acting on the object and allows for the potential energy to be maximized.
Gravitational potential energy.