This is a standard gravitation problem frequently asked in JEE Main, JEE Advanced and IIT JEE.
Escape velocity of a planet is given by:
$$ v = \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{R}} $$
Mass of a spherical planet can be written in terms of density:
$$ M = \frac{4}{3}\pi R^3 \rho $$
Substituting this in escape velocity formula:
$$ v = \sqrt{\frac{2G}{R} \cdot \frac{4}{3}\pi R^3 \rho} $$
$$ v \propto R\sqrt{\rho} $$
Given data:
Escape velocity of planet A:
$$ v_A = 10\ \text{km/s} = 10000\ \text{m/s} $$
For planet B:
$$ R_B = 0.1R_A $$
$$ \rho_B = 0.1\rho_A $$
Using proportionality:
$$ \frac{v_B}{v_A} = \frac{R_B}{R_A}\sqrt{\frac{\rho_B}{\rho_A}} $$
$$ \frac{v_B}{10000} = 0.1 \times \sqrt{0.1} $$
$$ \frac{v_B}{10000} = \frac{0.1}{\sqrt{10}} $$
$$ v_B = \frac{10000}{\sqrt{10}} = 100\sqrt{10}\ \text{m/s} $$
Therefore, the escape velocity of planet B is $100\sqrt{10}$ m/s.
Updated for JEE Main 2026: This PYQ is important for JEE Mains, JEE Advanced and other competitive exams. Practice more questions from this chapter.