Radial Motion in A Central Potential for Singular Mass Densities

Ulrich Zurcher, Cleveland State University
Miron Kaufman, Cleveland State University

Abstract

We study the radial motion of an object in the gravitational field produced by an isotropic mass density that is singular at the origin. This problem applies to elliptical galaxies and can be used to illustrate motion in a central field appropriate for an intermediate-level mechanics course.