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GRAVITAIONAL
Q.1.

An artificial satellite moving in a circular orbit around the earth has a total (kinetic + potential) energy is E0.
Find its potential Energy.

Q.2.

From a sphere of mass M and radius

R a small sphere of radius 2R/3 is
removed from an edge as shown in the
figure. Then calculate the ratio of work
done to bring a mass m from P to Q
through POQ and through PLQ ?
(Neglect friction if any)

2R/3
m
P
O

Q.3.

What is the value of acceleration due to gravity at a height equal to the radius of earth from its surface?

Q.4.

A particle is projected from the surface of earth with an initial speed of 4.0 km/s. Find the maximum height
attained by the particle. Radius of earth = 6400 km and g = 9.8 m/s2

Q.5.

A particle is released from one end of a smooth tunnel made along a diameter of a spherical body of mass M
and radius R. Find the speed of the particle when it reaches at the centre of the sphere.

Q.6.

The masses and radii of two fixed bodies are 2M, R and M, 2R . Their centre are at a distance 10 R apart.
What is the minimum speed with which a particle of mass M/10 should be projected from a point, midway
between the two so as to escape to infinite.

Q.7.

Two satellites A and B revolve around a planet in coplanar circular orbit in the same direction with period of
revolutions 1 hour and 8 hours respectively. The radius of satellite A is 104 km then find the angular speed of
B with respect to A ?

Q.8.

What is the magnitude of the gravitational force

on the particle of mass m due to the rod as shown
in the figure?

Q.9.

A missile is launched at an angle of 60 0 to the vertical with a velocity 0.75gR from the surface of the earth
(R is the radius of the earth). Find its maximum height from the surface of earth. (Neglect air resistance and
rotation of earth.)

Q.10. An artificial satellite is moving in a circular orbit around the earth with a speed equal to half the magnitude of
escape velocity from the earth. If the satellite is stopped suddenly in its orbit and allowed to fall freely onto
the earth, find the speed with which it hits the surface of the earth. (RE = 6400 km).
Q.11. Five masses each of magnitude m are kept at the corners
of regular hexagon of side a. Find the gravitational field
at the centre O of the hexagon.

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Q.12. Find the potential energy of interaction between a solid

sphere of mass M and radius R and a rod of mass m and
length placed as shown in the figure.

Q.13. Two binary stars of mass M and M/2 respectively are moving in a circular path about common centre of mass,
due to their mutual gravitational attraction force. If P is the magnitude of linear momentum of mass M, find
the time period of revolution of these stars in terms of P, M & G, where G is gravitational constant.
Q.14. If gravitational attraction between two point masses be given by F = G

m 1m 2
rn

, then find the period of a

satellite in a circular orbit.

Q.15. Three masses of mass M each are placed on the vertices of an equilateral triangle of side a. Find the value of
mass m that can be placed on the centre of the triangle so that mass m will be in equilibrium. Assume that the
entire system is located in a gravity free space.
Q.16. A particle of mass m is projected from the bottom of
tunnel of depth R/2. Tunnel is inside the earth of radius
R and mass M. Find the minimum velocity with which
particle should be projected, so that it can escape the
earths gravitational field.

R/2
R/2

Q.17. Two starts of mass M and 5M, which are at a distance L

apart rotate about their centre of mass due to
gravitational attraction. Find time of one rotation.

M
5M
Q.18. A pendulum clock which keeps correct time at the bottom of mountain looses 30 sec. per day when it is taken
to the top of mountain.
Find the height of mountain? (Re = 6400 km.)
Q.19. Two masses 4m and m are separated by a distance d from their centres are revolving about their centre of
mass due to mutual force of attraction. Then determine
(a) ratio of their time periods?
(b) ratio of their kinetic energies ?
(c) ratio of their velocities ?
Q.20. Find the ratio of the gravitational field potential at the centre to that at the surface of a uniform solid sphere?
What is the ratio of the gravitational field intensities at the two points mentioned in above case?

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Q.21. Two concentric shells of masses M1
and M2 are situated as shown in
figure. Find the gravitational field on
a particle of mass m when the particle
is located at
(a) r = a
(b) r = b
(c) r = c

Q.22. On to a sphere of radius R/2 and

density 2 with centre at C2 a second
sphere is moulded with density 1
radius R and centre C1. Find the force
experienced by a point mass m at
point P at a distance y from the
combination as shown.

M1
b

M2
a
c

P m
y

R
C1
2 C
2
R/2

Q.23. Distance between the centers of two stars is 10 a. The mass of these stars are M and 16M and their radii a and
2a respectively. A body of mass m is fired straight from the surface of the larger star towards the smaller star.
What should be the minimum initial speed to reach the surface of the smaller star.
Q.24. A satellite is put in an orbit just above the earth's atmosphere with a velocity 1.5 time the velocity for a
circular orbit at that height. The initial velocity imported is horizontal. What would be the maximum distance
of the satellite from the surface of the earth when it is in the orbit.

dr
= -a (constant) but keeps its mass
dt
constant. Body is spinning about one of its diameters. If at time t = 0 its spinning angular velocity be 0 and
radius r0, find the angular velocity at time t = T.

Q.25. A spherical heavenly body is decreasing its radius, given by equation

Q.26. A point mass m is placed at the centre of a thin spherical shell of mass M and radius r1. Find the amount of
work done by external agent in expanding the spherical shell into a shell of radius r2.
Q.27. The masses and radii of the earth and moon are M1, R1 and M2, R2 respectively. Their centres are at a distance
d apart. What is the minimum speed with which a particle of mass M should be projected from a point
midway between the two so as to escape to infinity?
Q.28. In a double star system stars are (One of mass 'm' and the other '2m') distance 'd' apart and rotate about their
common centre of mass with same angular velocity . Find the ratio of their individual angular momenta and
their individual kinetic energies.
Q.29. Three stars each of mass M and radius R are initially at rest and the distance between centres of any two stars
is d and they form an equilateral triangle. They start moving towards the centroid due to mutual force of
attraction. What are the velocities of the stars just before the collision? Radius of each star is R.

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A

Q.30. A spherical cavity of radius R/2 is created

inside a large uniform sphere of radius R.
The sphere removed from large sphere is
placed in front of new sphere as shown. A
particle of mass m is projected from point
C on the larger sphere with velocity v0.
Find the minimum velocity such that
particle escapes.

Q.31. A cosmic body A coming from infinity

with a velocity v0 is approaching the Sun
of mass M, with its line of motion at a
distance from the sun, as shown in the
figure. When it gets closest to the Sun i.e.
at P, what will be its distance from the sun
?

R/2

B
R/2

5R

Sun
P

v0
A

Q.32. What is the value of acceleration (gravitational field) due to gravity.

(a) at a height equal to half of radius of earth from its surface?
(b) in depth equal to half of radius of earth from its surface?
(c) What is the ratio of acceleration due to gravity in (a) & (b).
Q.33. A solid sphere of uniform density and radius 4m is located with
its centre at the origin O of coordinates. Two spheres of equal
radius 1m with their centres A(-2, 0, 0) and B(2, 0, 0) are taken
out leaving behind spherical cavities as shown in the figure the
mass of each sphere taken is M. Calculate
(a) The gravitational field at B
(b) The gravitational potential at any point on the circle y2+z2=36.
(c) The gravitational potential at any point on the circle y2+z2 = 4.

O B

Q.34

A planet P moves in an elliptical orbit with the sun S at one focus.

Find the maximum and minimum distances of the planet P from
the sun S if at a certain moment of time it was at the distance r0
and travelled with the velocity v0 with the angle between the

radius vector r0 and the velocity vector v 0 being equal to (see

v0

r
0
S

the figure).
Q.35. Two small dense stars rotate about their common centre of mass as a binary system with the period of 1 year
for each. One star is of double the mass of the other and the mass of the lighter one is of (1/3) the mass of the
sun. Given the distance between the earth and the sun is R. If the distance between the two stars is r, then
obtain the relation between r and R.

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Q.36 . There is a fixed solid sphere of mass density and radius R
having spherical cavity of radius R/2 inside it. C is the centre
of cavity as shown in figure. A point object of mass m is
released from point A inside the cavity. Find
(a) time which it will again hit the cavity surface.
(b) position at which it will hit the sphere.

A
m
R/2 300
C
O

Q.37. An artificial satellite is moving in a circular orbit around the earth with a speed equal to half the magnitude of
escape velocity from the earth.
(i) Determine the height of the satellite above the earths surface.
(ii) If the satellite is stopped suddenly in its orbit and allowed to fall freely onto the earth, find the speed with
which it hits the surface of the earth. (g = 9.8 m/s2 and RE = 6400 km).
Q.38. A uniform ring of mass m and radius 'a' is placed directly above a uniform sphere of mass M and of equal
radius. The centre of the ring is at a distance
exerted by the sphere on the ring.

3 a from the centre of the sphere. Find the gravitational force

Q.39. A comet is moving in an elliptical orbit

around the sun. It is observed at a point P and

has a speed 1.2 times the speed required for a
circular orbit at that position, (figure). Find
the greatest distance of the comet from the sun
in terms of R1.

Sun

R1

Q.40. A projectile is fired vertically up from the bottom of a crater on the moon. The depth of the crater is
R/100, where R is the radius of the moon. If the initial velocity of the projectile is the same as the
escape velocity from the lunar surface, determine in terms of R, the maximum height attained by
the projectile above the lunar surface.
Q.41. A satellite of m (m < <Me) is revolving around the earth of mass Me in the orbit of radius 3Re, where Re is the
GM
radius of earth. An impulse of magnitude I = m
is given to the satellite in the direction opposite to
12Re
velocity. Find the minimum distance of satellite from earths centre during the subsequent motion of satellite.