What is the shape of the gravitational field lines around a point mass?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the shape of the gravitational field lines around a point mass?
Straight lines
Curved lines
Concentric circles
Radial lines
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the shape of the gravitational field lines around a point mass?
Step 1: Understand what a point mass is. A point mass is an object that has mass but is so small that it can be treated as a single point in space.
Step 2: Learn about gravitational field lines. These lines represent the direction and strength of the gravitational force around a mass.
Step 3: Visualize the point mass. Imagine a small dot that represents the mass.
Step 4: Recognize that gravitational field lines show how gravity pulls objects towards the mass.
Step 5: Note that the lines spread out evenly in all directions from the point mass.
Step 6: Conclude that the shape of the gravitational field lines around a point mass is radial, meaning they point directly towards the mass from all angles.
