3 ms·
So on the surface of the shell planet, the effects of gravity would be the same as normal, but when you're on the inside there is no net gravitational effect? i
by liquids 15y ago
So on the surface of the shell planet, the effects of gravity would be the same as normal, but when you're on the inside there is no net gravitational effect? ie. you'd just float near the inside surface? That doesn't seem intuitive. Wouldn't the force from gravity be acting towards the centre of mass in both cases?
Edit: Actually never mind, I think the density of the shell is what threw me off! On the outside the net gravitational effect is the local shell (RHS) plus the rest of the shell (RHS), but just on the inside - the net effect is the remaining shell surface (RHS) minus the local shell (LHS). Because the effect of gravity is 1/r^2 everything works out!