A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits a radio beam the way a lighthouse emits a light beam. We receive a radio pulse for each rotation of the star. The period T of rotation is found by measuring the time between pulses. Suppose a pulsar has a period of rotation of T = 0.0238 s that is increasing at the rate of 6.24 x 10- 8 s/y. (a) What is the pulsar's angular acceleration α? (b) If α is constant, how many years from now will the pulsar stop rotating? (c) Suppose the pulsar originated in a supernova explosion seen 1070 years ago. Assuming constant α, find the initial T.
A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits a radio beam the way a lighthouse emits a light beam. We receive a radio pulse for each rotation of the star. The period T of rotation is found by measuring the time between pulses. Suppose a pulsar has a period of rotation of T = 0.0238 s that is increasing at the rate of 6.24 x 10- 8 s/y. (a) What is the pulsar's angular acceleration α? (b) If α is constant, how many years from now will the pulsar stop rotating? (c) Suppose the pulsar originated in a supernova explosion seen 1070 years ago. Assuming constant α, find the initial T.
A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits a radio beam the way a lighthouse emits a light beam. We receive a radio pulse for each rotation of the star. The period T of rotation is found by measuring the time between pulses. Suppose a pulsar has a period of rotation of T = 0.0238 s that is increasing at the rate of 6.24 x 10- 8 s/y. (a) What is the pulsar's angular acceleration α? (b) If α is constant, how many years from now will the pulsar stop rotating? (c) Suppose the pulsar originated in a supernova explosion seen 1070 years ago. Assuming constant α, find the initial T.
A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits a radio beam the way a lighthouse emits a light beam. We receive a radio pulse for each rotation of the star. The period T of rotation is found by measuring the time between pulses. Suppose a pulsar has a period of rotation of T = 0.0238 s that is increasing at the rate of 6.24 x 10- 8 s/y. (a) What is the pulsar's angular acceleration α? (b) If α is constant, how many years from now will the pulsar stop rotating? (c) Suppose the pulsar originated in a supernova explosion seen 1070 years ago. Assuming constant α, find the initial T.
Transcribed Image Text:**Title: Understanding Pulsars**
A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits a radio beam the way a lighthouse emits a light beam. We receive a radio pulse for each rotation of the star. The period \( T \) of rotation is found by measuring the time between pulses. Suppose a pulsar has a period of rotation of \( T = 0.0238 \, \text{s} \) that is increasing at the rate of \( 6.24 \times 10^{-8} \, \text{s/y} \).
**Questions and Exploration:**
(a) What is the pulsar’s angular acceleration \( \alpha \)?
(b) If \( \alpha \) is constant, how many years from now will the pulsar stop rotating?
(c) Suppose the pulsar originated in a supernova explosion seen 1070 years ago. Assuming constant \( \alpha \), find the initial \( T \).
Definition Definition Rate of change of angular velocity. Angular acceleration indicates how fast the angular velocity changes over time. It is a vector quantity and has both magnitude and direction. Magnitude is represented by the length of the vector and direction is represented by the right-hand thumb rule. An angular acceleration vector will be always perpendicular to the plane of rotation. Angular acceleration is generally denoted by the Greek letter α and its SI unit is rad/s 2 .
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