Hollow-sphere gravitational transit
ID: hollow-sphere-gravitational-transit
For a spherical shell of uniform mass density , inner radius and outer radius , suppose a negligible-width radial tunnel permits a small mass to fall from rest at the outer surface. The enclosed mass at radius within the material is . The spherical shell theorem gives inward gravitational acceleration . Integrating from to gives released gravitational potential energy , hence speed at the cavity. The cavity has zero gravitational field, so the diameter transit time is the title expression, independent of and .
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