Editing Potential energy (section)

=== Negative gravitational energy ===
As with all potential energies, only differences in gravitational potential energy matter for most physical purposes, and the choice of zero point is arbitrary. Given that there is no reasonable criterion for preferring one particular finite ''r'' over another, there seem to be only two reasonable choices for the distance at which {{math|''U''}} becomes zero: <math>r = 0</math> and <math>r = \infty</math>. The choice of <math>U = 0</math> at infinity may seem peculiar, and the consequence that gravitational energy is always negative may seem counterintuitive, but this choice allows gravitational potential energy values to be finite, albeit negative.

The [[mathematical singularity|singularity]] at <math>r = 0</math> in the formula for gravitational potential energy means that the only other apparently reasonable alternative choice of convention, with <math>U = 0</math> for {{tmath|1=r = 0}}, would result in potential energy being positive, but infinitely large for all nonzero values of {{math|''r''}}, and would make calculations involving sums or differences of potential energies beyond what is possible with the [[real number]] system. Since physicists abhor infinities in their calculations, and {{math|''r''}} is always non-zero in practice, the choice of <math>U = 0</math> at infinity is by far the more preferable choice, even if the idea of negative energy in a [[gravity well]] appears to be peculiar at first.

The negative value for gravitational energy also has deeper implications that make it seem more reasonable in cosmological calculations where the total energy of the universe can meaningfully be considered; see [[inflation theory]] for more on this.<ref>{{cite book|author=Guth, Alan|chapter=Appendix A, Gravitational Energy|title=The Inflationary Universe|publisher=Perseus Books|date=1997|isbn=0-201-14942-7|pages=289–293}}</ref>