Rankers Physics
Topic: Gravitation
Subtopic: Gravitational Potential

A particle of mass $M$ is situated at the center of a spherical shell of same mass and radius $a$. The magnitude of the gravitational potential at a point situated at $\frac{a}{2}$ distance from the center, will be:

(2011 Mains)

$\frac{2GM}{a}$
$\frac{3GM}{a}$
$\frac{4GM}{a}$
$\frac{GM}{a}$

Solution:

Potential at distance $a/2$ is $V = V_{\text{shell}} + V_{\text{particle}} = -\frac{GM}{a} - \frac{GM}{a/2} = -\frac{3GM}{a}$. Magnitude is $\frac{3GM}{a}$.

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