Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/ia/paper-4/4a/solution

A central force has the form , so it always points along the line from a fixed centre to the particle. Its torque about the centre vanishes:
Thus angular momentum is conserved. Since , the trajectory lies in the fixed plane through the origin perpendicular to .
The area swept in time is , so
which is constant. This proves Kepler's second law.

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