The gravitational potential energy of an isolated system of three particles, each of mass `m`, at the three corners of an equilateral triangle of side `l` is

Options

A. `-(Gm^(2))/l`
B. `-(Gm^(2))/(2l)`
C. `-(2Gm^(2))/l`
D. `-(3Gm^(2))/l`

Answer

D

Explanation

Gravitational potential energy of a pair of particles `=-(Gm^(2))//l`.
Since we have three pairs, the total gravitational potential energy is `-3Gm^(2)//l`