Concepts Of Physics MCQ Edition [Volume 1]PhysicsSimple Harmonic Motion
Suppose a tunnel is excavated along a chord of the earth at a perpendicular distance R/2 from the earth's centre, where R is the radius of the earth. The wall of the tunnel is frictionless. A particle of mass m is placed in the tunnel at a distance x from the centre of the tunnel. Find the magnitudes of the components of the earth's gravitational force on the particle along the tunnel and perpendicular to the tunnel,
Options
- AGMm R^3 x , GMm R^3 x^2 + R^2 4
- BGMm R^2 x , GMm 2R^3
- CGMm R^3 x , GMm 2R^2
- DGMm 2R^2 , GMm R^3 x
Correct answer
C. GMm R^3 x , GMm 2R^2
Step-by-step solution
Let the centre of the earth be the origin (0,0) . Let the tunnel be parallel to the x-axis at a perpendicular distance y = R 2 . The position vector of the particle at a distance x from the centre of the tunnel is given by r = x i + R 2 j . The gravitational force on a particle of mass m inside the earth at a position vector r from the centre is directed towards the centre and is given by: F = - GMm R^3 r Substituting the position vector r into the force equation, we get: F = - GMm R^3 ( x i + R 2 j ) F = - GMm R^3