Effective Potential

Effective potential is a concept in physics that combines the actual forces acting on an object with the effects of its motion, especially in systems like planetary orbits or particles in fields. It helps analyze how an object moves by showing a single potential energy landscape that accounts for both position-dependent forces and the object's angular momentum. Essentially, it simplifies complex motion by allowing us to study stability, possible paths, and energy barriers in a way that combines forces and motion into one unified framework.