Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/iii/paper-44/1/b/solution

Work in the centre-of-mass frame and define , . Differentiation gives
For each gravitational pair, the two contributions combine to
Summing pairs therefore gives the exact scalar virial theorem
In a stationary equilibrium, or a bounded long-time average with vanishing average , . With , the stated gravitational radius gives , hence
The rms speed itself is . This is a three-dimensional mean-square speed; for an isotropic system the one-component velocity dispersion is smaller by a factor of three in its square. No assumption about a uniform spatial density was used.

New to topics? Read the docs here!