Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
The Earth's mass is times the Moon's, and the distance between their centres is , where is the Earth's radius. The Moon's radius is . A body is to be fired straight from the Earth's surface towards the Moon, along the line joining their centres, as shown in the figure. Take at the Earth's surface. Ignore air, the Earth's rotation and the motion of the Moon.
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. The balance point. At a distance from the Earth's centre: . Take square roots: , so .
Step 2. The least speed. Before the balance point the Earth pulls the body back; after it, the Moon pulls it on. So the body must just reach the balance point. The potential (per kilogram) at a point is . With and :
So , which gives . That is a little less than the escape speed from the Earth alone, : the Moon helps a little.
Step 3. Arrival at the Moon. At the Moon's surface the body is from the Earth's centre and from the Moon's:
From the balance point, where the speed is nearly zero: , so .
Answer: (a) . (b) . (c) .
Check. A body falling onto the Moon from very far, with only the Moon's pull, would hit at the Moon's escape speed, . Our body arrives a little slower, because the Earth keeps pulling it back all the way.
Watch out. The least launch speed is not the escape speed: the body need not reach infinity, only the balance point. Leaving out the Moon's potential at that point would give an answer slightly too large.
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