Gravitation - NEET Physics Questions
← All Chapters

Gravitation

Question 11: difficult

Two particles of equal mass $m$ go around a circle of radius $R$ under the action of their mutual gravitational attraction. The speed $v$ of each particle is:

(1995)

1. $\frac{1}{2}\sqrt{\frac{Gm}{R}}$
2. $\sqrt{\frac{4Gm}{R}}$
3. $\frac{1}{2R}\sqrt{\frac{1}{Gm}}$
4. $\sqrt{\frac{Gm}{R}}$
View Answer

The gravitational force provides the necessary centripetal force. $\frac{mv^2}{R} = \frac{Gmm}{(2R)^2} = \frac{Gm^2}{4R^2}$. Solving for $v$, we get $v^2 = \frac{Gm}{4R}$, which means $v = \frac{1}{2}\sqrt{\frac{Gm}{R}}$.