Department of Pre-University Education, KarnatakaPUC Karnataka Science Class 11

# P Suppose the Gravitational Potential Due to a Small System is K/R2 at a Distance R from It. What Will Be the Gravitational Field? Can You Think of Any Such System? - Physics

Short Note

Suppose the gravitational potential due to a small system is k/r2 at a distance r from it. What will be the gravitational field? Can you think of any such system? What happens if there were negative masses?

#### Solution

The gravitational potential due to the system is given as $V = \frac{k}{r^2}$

Gravitational field due to the system :
$E = - \frac{dV}{dr}$
$\Rightarrow E = - \frac{d}{dr}\left( \frac{k}{r^2} \right) = - \left( - \frac{2k}{r^3} \right)$
$\Rightarrow E = \frac{2k}{r^3}$
We can see that for this system , $E \propto \frac{1}{r^3}$
This type of system is not possible because $F_g$ is always proportional to inverse of square of distance(experimental fact).
If there were negative masses, then this type of system is possible.
This system is a dipole of two masses, i.e., two masses, one positive and the other negative, separated by a small distance.
In this case, the gradational field due to the dipole is proportional to $\frac{1}{r^3}$

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#### APPEARS IN

HC Verma Class 11, 12 Concepts of Physics 1
Chapter 11 Gravitation
Short Answers | Q 8 | Page 223