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A gravitational field is present in a region and a mass is shifted from A to B through different paths as shown. If W₁, W₂ and W₃ represent the work done by the gravitational force along the respective paths, then:

Asked in NEET Re-2022 · Work done and change in potential energy

Figure: Work done and change in potential energy
Answer: (2) W₁=W₂=W₃

Step-by-step solution

Gravity is a conservative force: the work it does depends only on the endpoints, not on the route taken.

All three paths start at A and finish at B, so each has the same change in gravitational potential energy.

The work done is the negative of that change, which is therefore the same for all three.

W₁=W₂=W₃.

Why the other options are wrong

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