Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/ii/paper-3/10d/a/solution

Assemble the star by adding spherical shells. A shell of mass at radius has gravitational potential energy relative to infinity, giving
Multiplication of the hydrostatic equilibrium equation by and integration by parts gives
For an isolated star with negligible surface pressure, . Using , the virial theorem becomes . If a nonzero external pressure is present, the surface term must be retained: . Thus the printed zero-surface-term identity implicitly assumes an isolated star.

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