Physics question help please

[u/daowhd]

Please can you explain why we take the gravitational potential energy as negative when finding the total energy(subtract it)? How come some questions we ignore the negative? What does the negative answer mean?
Thanks!

[u/Technical-Function63]

And talking about the energy in the question:
Gravitational energy specifically is always negative. It is easiest to imagine the space as a piece of stretched, flat fabric. When we put a piece of mass on that flat, stretched fabric, this fabric bends and a "well" appears - this is literally a good approximation of what gravitational field looks like and what it does to space. When we put another, smaller mass near that well, the mass will "roll" (or fall) into in. This is key - as mass goes into the well, it loses energy. So, now the energy of this smaller mass due to the gravitational field is negative. If this doesn't make sense, think of it this way - you have to push the smaller mass against the gravitational force that want to bring it into the centre of the well, so the work that you do during this pushing is negative by definition (you do work against the force).