Introduction to Astrophysics I, 29:119
Fall, 2006
First Homework Set...August 29, 2006. Due September 12, 2006

Show calculations and give reasons for your answers. Don't go around confused and despondent; if you do not know how to get started, ask me for help. The purpose of problem sets is to promote thinking and lead to understanding, not produce a confiteor of revealed truth.

(1) Using equations developed in class, demonstrate that the gravitational force of a circularly symmetric distribution of mass in a disk on a point mass in the plane of the disk, but beyond its edge is not the same as if all the mass were concentrated in a point mass at the center of the disk (i.e. the result differs from that of a sphere). You can use either a program such as Mathematica or MathCad (recommended) or analytic methods.

(2) Problem 2.1

(3) Problem 2.2

(4) Problem 2.3

(5) Problem 2.4

(6) Problem 2.6

(7) Problem 2.7