Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A thin uniform shell has a mass of and a radius of . Find the gravitational field and potential
A uniform spherical shell pulls an outside body as if its mass were at its centre. Inside it, the field is zero and the potential is the same everywhere, . Inside a uniform solid sphere, .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) Inside. Field ; potential .
Step 2. (b) Surface. Field ; potential .
Step 3. (c) Outside. Field ; potential .
Answer: (a) and . (b) and . (c) and .
Watch out. Zero field inside does not mean zero potential: it means the potential does not change there.
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