If the rotational curve (orbital speed versus distance from center) of a spherically symmetric object is flat, what is implied about the mass density? A. It remains constant at all distance from center. B. It increases with distance from center. C. It decreases with distance from center. D. It remains zero far from the center because the distribution is essentially a point mass.
If the rotational curve (orbital speed versus distance from center) of a spherically symmetric object is flat, what is implied about the mass density?
A. It remains constant at all distance from center.
B. It increases with distance from center.
C. It decreases with distance from center.
D. It remains zero far from the center because the distribution is essentially a point mass.
Is the answer B? Orbital velocity is still the same as the distance from the centre increases. By Mr = v2r/G, Mass increases with increasing radius when velocity is kept constant. So, galaxies with flat rotational curves indicate they contain large amounts of dark matter, especially further out from the centre. Thank you for clarifying my understanding!
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