Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2024/iii/paper-317/4/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 317 4 ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-09-25
The Roche lobe of star 1 is the volume around it bounded by the critical closed equipotential passing through the inner Lagrange point . Material on a lower potential surface remains confined to star 1; at the critical surface a path opens toward star 2.
Let and take outward. For a nearly spherical interior surface, the divergence theorem givesThe self-gravity term contributes . The companion lies outside , so its potential is harmonic inside and contributes zero net flux. For the centrifugal term, , so its acceleration has divergence and contributes . Using and ,The sign is the outward-normal component; the dominant self-gravity is inward and therefore negative.
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