A particle of mass M is placed at the centre of a uniform spherical shell of equal mass and radius a. Find the gravitational potential at a point P at a distance a/2 from the centre.

A particle of mass M is placed at the centre of a uniform spherical sh

1.	A particle of mass M is placed at the centre of a uniform spherical shell of equal mass and radius a. Find the gravitational potential at a point P at a distance a/2 from the centre.
Answer» SOLUTION :The gravitational potential at the point P DUE to the particle at the centre is `V_(1) = -(GM)/(a//2) = -(2GM)/(a)` The potential at P due to the SHELL is `V_(2) = -(Gm)/(a)` The net potential at P is `V_(1) = V_(2) = -(3Gm)/(a)`