Does gravitational potential energy defy the law of conservation of energy?

[Catthedragon]

I was trying to think of new age energy sources and this occurred to me. Could have sworn I read about it somewhere in that context. I'm probably wrong.

 

I mean, to my knowledge, gravity is just there. It's a property of matter. Nothing "powers" it. By that logic it's creating energy out of nothing.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Catthedragon

[Fuzzwood]

It is creating a force, not energy.

[Catthedragon]

It is creating a force, not energy.

 

Well how can a force exist without an energy component?

[Fuzzwood]

You are turning things around. There can be no energy without a force component. Energy from gravity only occurs when something actually moves.

[studiot]

 

There can be no energy without a force component. Energy from gravity only occurs when something actually moves.

 

 

 

It's actually a stronger condition than that.

 

Objects loose gravitational potential energy when they fall, or get closer to the centre.

This loss of potential is exactly matched by the gain in some other sort of energy such as kinetic energy.

 

Conversely when an object is lifted up it gains gravitational potential energy.

Yes I said lifted up, no object will rise of its own accord without some agent (force driving it).

The gain in potential energy is then exactly equal to the work done by this force.

 

In either situation, energy conservation is obeyed.

[Fuzzwood]

That was gonna be my reply to the next comment, studiot.