Three identical point masses are placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle of…

PHYSICS · Single correct · A Level · Physics · Fields and their consequences · Fields and their consequences

Problem

Three identical point masses

m

are placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle of side length

a

. What is the total gravitational potential energy of the system? (a)

-\dfrac{3}{2}\dfrac{Gm^{2}}{a}

(b)

-\dfrac{6Gm^{2}}{a}

(c)

-\dfrac{3Gm^{2}}{a}

(d)

-\dfrac{Gm^{2}}{\sqrt{3}\,a}