All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

‘Black hole’ is a

This question was previously asked in
NDA II 2019 GAT Previous Year Paper (17-Nov-2019)
The correct answer is

star which has collapsed into itself and has large acceleration due to gravity on its surface

Understanding What a ‘Black Hole’ Is

A ‘black hole’ is one of the most fascinating objects in space. It is not an empty space, but rather a region where gravity is so strong that nothing, including light and other electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape its pull.

Characteristics of a Black Hole

Black holes typically form from the collapse of a massive star at the end of its life cycle. When a very massive star runs out of nuclear fuel, its core collapses under its own gravity. This collapse can lead to a supernova explosion, leaving behind a dense remnant.

If the remnant's mass is above a certain limit (the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit for neutron stars, and potentially higher for black holes), the collapse continues infinitely, crushing all the matter into an infinitely dense point called a singularity. This creates the black hole.

Key characteristics include:

  • Origin: Formed from the gravitational collapse of a massive star.
  • Gravity: Extremely strong gravitational pull due to the immense mass concentrated in a tiny volume.
  • Escape Velocity: The velocity required to escape its gravitational pull exceeds the speed of light.
  • Surface Gravity: The acceleration due to gravity near the event horizon (the boundary beyond which escape is impossible) is incredibly large.

Evaluating the Options

Let's look at the given options based on our understanding:

  1. A huge black star which has zero acceleration due to gravity on its surface.

    This is incorrect. While black holes are related to stars, they are not typical "stars". More importantly, they have extremely large acceleration due to gravity, not zero.

  2. A star which has moderate acceleration due to gravity on its surface.

    This is incorrect. Black holes have immensely strong gravity, far exceeding a "moderate" level.

  3. A star which has collapsed into itself and has large acceleration due to gravity on its surface.

    This aligns with the formation process (collapsed star) and the key characteristic of intense gravity (large acceleration due to gravity).

  4. A star which has collapsed into itself and has zero acceleration due to gravity on its surface.

    This is incorrect. A collapsed star that forms a black hole has very large, not zero, acceleration due to gravity.

Based on the characteristics of black holes formed from collapsed stars, the description that fits best is a collapsed star with a large acceleration due to gravity on its surface (near the event horizon). The term "surface" in this context usually refers to the event horizon, the effective boundary.

Therefore, a ‘black hole’ is understood as a region formed from the collapse of a star, characterized by an extremely strong gravitational field leading to very large acceleration due to gravity.

Was this answer helpful?

Similar Questions

  1. Which of the following statement about a satellite orbiting around the earth is correct?

  2. Two bodies of mass M each are placed R distance apart. In another system, two bodies of mass 2M each are placed R/2 distance apart. If F be the gravitational force between the bodies in the first system, then the gravitational force between the bodies in the second system will be

  3. LIGO stands for

  4. In a vacuum, a five-rupee coin, a feather of a sparrow bird and a mango are dropped simultaneously from the same height. The time taken by them to reach the bottom is t 1, t 2and t 3respectively. In this situation, we will observe that

  5. If radius of the earth were to shrink by 1%, its mass remains the same, g would decrease by nearly

  6. A planet has a mass M 1and radius R 1. The value of acceleration due to gravity on its surface is g 1. There is another planet 2, whose mass and radius both are two times that of the first planet. Which one of the following is the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of planet 2?

  7. Suppose there are two planets, 1 and 2, having the same density but their radii are R 1and R 2respectively, where R 1> R 2. The accelerations due to gravity on the surface of these planets are related as

  8. Which one of the following statement is true for the relation, \(F= \frac{{G{m_1}{m_2}}}{{{r^2}}}\) ?

    (All symbols have their usual meanings)
  9. The radius of the Moon is about one-fourth that of the Earth and acceleration due to gravity on the moon is about one-sixth that on the earth. From this, we can conclude that the ratio of the mass of earth to the mass of the moon is about

  10. Suppose the force of gravitation between two bodies of equal masses is F. If each mass is doubled keeping the distance of separation between them unchanged, the force would become


Important Questions from Gravitation

  1. The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz., gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct?

  2. A spacecraft of mass m = 1000 kg has a fully reflecting sail that is oriented perpendicular to the direction of the sun. The sun radiates 10 26 W and has a mass M = 10 30  kg. Ignoring the effect of the planets, for the gravitational pull of the sun to balance the radiation pressure on the sail, the area of the sail will be
  3. The force of attraction between two bodies separated by a distance of d is F. The distance for which the force of attraction between them is 64 F is ________.

  4. If two satellites of masses m1 and m2 are revolving around a earth in a circular orbits of radius r1 and r2, then the ratio of their orbital velocities \(\dfrac{v_1}{v_2}\) is

  5. A women whose mass is 60 kg on the earth surface is in an spacecraft at an altitude of two times the earth radius. Her mass there is

Need Expert Advice?
Test Series
NDA img
Defence
NDA 2026 Mock Test Series (Latest Pattern)
503 Tests 1 Tests Free
1066 Attempts
4.6(137)
English, Hindi

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App