Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/iii/paper-44/1/d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 44 1 d Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
At rest with all separations initially infinite, both initial kinetic and gravitational energies vanish, so the conserved total energy is zero. During an isolated collapse, , rather than the equilibrium relation . Hence at the stated instantaneous gravitational potential energy,The rms collapse speed is times the rms equilibrium speed for the same instantaneous and mass. For a perfectly radial cold infall this mean-square motion includes coherent inward streaming; it need not equal a local random velocity dispersion after subtracting that streaming. The quoted comparison follows the question's global mean-square convention.
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