Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/section-a/4/solution
Past exam of the physics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Section A 4 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
For uniform Earth density, the shell theorem says that only mass within radius contributes to the gravitational field there. Since enclosed mass is proportional to ,At depth , . A simple pendulum has small-amplitude period , so the pendulum clock below a uniform-density surface runs at the fraction of its surface-calibrated rate. After a surface-clock hour, its lag isThe mine clock is slower because gravity is weaker under the stated uniform-density assumption. The expansion gives the same result. This is a change in the mechanical pendulum period, not a relativistic clock effect; a realistic Earth density profile would require a different interior-gravity calculation.
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