Question

A particle of mass M is situated at the centre of a spherical shell of same mass and radius a. The gravitational potential at a point situated at `"a"/2` distance from the centre, will be ______.

Options

• `-(3"GM")/"a"`

• `-(2"GM")/"a"`

• `-("GM")/"a"`

• `-(4"GM")/"a"`

Answer 1

A particle of mass M is situated at the centre of a spherical shell of same mass and radius a. The gravitational potential at a point situated at `"a"/2` distance from the centre, will be `underlinebb(-(3"GM")/"a")`.

Explanation:

Potential at the given point = Potential at the point due to the shell + Potential due to the particle

= `-"GM"/"a"-(2"GM")/"a"=-(3"GM")/"a"`