Question

A thin spherical shell of mass M and radius R has a small hole. A particle of mass m is released at the mouth of the hole. Then

• A. The particle will execute simple harmonic motion inside the shell
• B. The particle will oscillate inside the shell, but the oscillations are not simple harmonic
• C. The particle will not oscillate, but the speed of the particle will go on increasing
• D. The particle will remain at rest

Answer 1

The correct option is D

The particle will remain at rest

Net gravitational field inside a shell is zero. Hence, net force on the particle will be zero i.e., the particle stays at rest in its original position