How does gravity work in toroidal masses?

Question

Assuming a large planet sized toroidal mass (ring shaped) suspended in space with no other accountable gravitational forces, what would happen to an object traveling at less than escape velocity through the exact center of the toroid? Would it be slowed/stopped in the center, or would it be pulled "down" toward a surface of the toroid?

Ariana Acosta · Accepted Answer

The is sort of a trick question because gravity is a function of mass.

Even when spinning, a toroidal object would have a very specific gravity; objects on top of or inside the spinning object would follow Newtonian physical laws of motion, but the gravitational force itself would remain constant.

Levi Anderson · Answer

undefined In toroidal masses, such as a donut-shaped object, gravity still operates in accordance with Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that every particle attracts every other particle with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. The gravitational force experienced by an object within a toroidal mass would depend on its distance from the center of the mass and the distribution of mass within the torus. However, in practice, the gravitational effects of toroidal masses are generally negligible compared to more conventional spherical masses.