Time to gravitationally collapse ( Derivation)

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the time of gravitational collapse for an object with a specified radius, utilizing Newton's law of gravitation. The original poster expresses confusion regarding the integration steps involved in deriving the time of collapse, particularly after establishing the relationship between force and acceleration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to derive the time of gravitational collapse using a specific equation and expresses uncertainty about the integration process. They also mention an alternative method for finding the time but seek clarification on the initial approach. Other participants discuss the integration technique and the challenges of relating the variables involved.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the mathematical derivation and exploring different methods to approach the problem. Some guidance has been provided regarding the integration technique, but there is no explicit consensus on the correct approach or resolution of the original poster's confusion.

Contextual Notes

The original poster notes that the calculated time for Earth to collapse to a radius of 100m seems implausible, indicating potential issues with their assumptions or calculations. They reference specific values for mass and radius in their calculations, which may be under scrutiny.

ibysaiyan
Messages
441
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Hi, I have been given a question where they want me to find out the time at which gravitational collapse occurs for a given radius. So for reference I had a read through my notes... most of it I understand with the exception of a bit which I will highlight below. Thanks

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution



Assume an object with all of it's mass concentrated at the center ( center of mass) of radius 'R'.
So using Newton's law we get the following relationship:

F = m[itex]r^{..}[/itex] = -GmM/r^2

=> [itex]r^{..}[/itex] = -Gm/r^2

Here's the bit which confuses me ( from bold line on wards).
=>{ [itex]2r^{.}[/itex][itex]r^{..}[/itex] = [itex]2r^{.}[/itex]-Gm/r^2 } *

Integrate both sides w.r.t ( no idea , could it be r' ? )

[itex]r^{.}[/itex] = -2Gm/r + C , and d(r)/dt = -1/r^2 * ([itex]r^{.}[/itex]

Can someone shed some light on this ? I have found another way of deriving the 'time' but I would love to know the above as well.

Thanks!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
P.S(besides the derivation ):
The time I get for Earth to collapse to a radius of 100m is about 352 seconds which seems absurd.. the formula I used is:

t =[itex]\frac{2}{3}[/itex] * [itex]\frac{R^3/2}{\sqrt{2GM}}[/itex]
where M = 5.9*10^-24 kg , radius = 6378km*10^3 - 100m...

I have also found another derivation, presumably of the same thing http://burro.cwru.edu/Academics/Astr221/LifeCycle/collapse.html

What am I doing wrong.
 
Can anyone lead me into the right direction. Thanks
 
Anyone ?
 
You have
$$\ddot{r} = -\frac{GM}{r^2}$$The problem is the derivative is with respect to time. Unfortunately, you can't integrate with respect to time because you don't know what r(t) is yet. The trick is to multiply both sides by ##\dot{r}## to get
\begin{align*}
\int \dot{r}\ddot{r}\,dt &= -\int \frac{GM}{r^2}\dot{r}\,dt \\
\int \dot{r}\frac{d\dot{r}}{dt}\,dt &= -\int \frac{GM}{r^2}\frac{dr}{dt}\,dt \\
\int \dot{r}\,d\dot{r} &= -\int \frac{GM}{r^2}\,dr
\end{align*}
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Replies
16
Views
2K