f a hole were dug through the center of a planet and a ball dropped into the hole, which of the following best describes the motion that the ball would undergo? Assume the ball is indestructible and the planet is a perfect sphere. It would continuously gain speed and eventually escape the gravitational pull of the planet. It would fall to the center of the planet and get stuck there because gravity is always pulling things toward the center of the planet. It would fall to the other end of the hole, come to a momentary stop, fall back to the starting location, and then repeat this back-and-forth motion indefinitely. None of the above is correct.

Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations and Connections
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ISBN:9781133939146
Author:Katz, Debora M.
Publisher:Katz, Debora M.
Chapter7: Gravity
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 63PQ: Planetary orbits are often approximated as uniform circular motion. Figure P7.9 is a scaled...
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37.

If a hole were dug through the center of a planet and a ball dropped into the hole, which of the following best describes the motion that the ball would undergo? Assume the ball is indestructible and the planet is a perfect sphere.

  1. It would continuously gain speed and eventually escape the gravitational pull of the planet.
  2. It would fall to the center of the planet and get stuck there because gravity is always pulling things toward the center of the planet.
  3. It would fall to the other end of the hole, come to a momentary stop, fall back to the starting location, and then repeat this back-and-forth motion indefinitely.
  4. None of the above is correct.
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