Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781337399920
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Question
Chapter 13, Problem 10RQ
To determine
The reason behind white dwarfs doesn’t contract as it cools.
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
A 46M Sun
main sequence star loses 1 Msun of mass over 105 years. (Due to the nature of this problem, do not use rounded intermediate values in your calculations including answers submitted in WebAssign.)
How many solar masses did it lose in a year?
By how much will its luminosity decrease if this mass loss continues over 0.8 million years?
Due to the nature of this problem, for all parts, do not use rounded intermediate values in your calculations-including answers submitted in WebAssign.
To determine the number of solar masses lost per year, divide the mass lost by the number of years over which it was lost.
Mlost
tlost-yr
Part 1 of 3
dM =
dM =
MSun/yr
In the H-R diagram we see that stellar masses__________ downward along the main sequence. At the upper end of the main sequence, the hot, luminous O stars can have masses as high as _________ or more times that of the Sun. On the lower end, cool, dim M stars may have as little as __________ times the mass of the Sun. Many more stars fall on the lower end of the main sequence than on the upper end, which tells us that _________stars are much more common than __________ stars.
We will take a moment to compare how brightly a white dwarf star shines compared to a red giant star. For the sake of this problem, let's assume a white dwarf has a temperature around 10,000 K and a red giant has a temperature around 5,000 K. As for their stellar radiatin, the white dwarf has a radius about 1/100th that of the Sun, and a red giant has a radius around 100 times larger than the Sun.
With this in mind, how does the luminosity of a red giant star compare to that of a white dwarf (Hint: do not try to enter all of these numbers into the luminosity equation {it won't go well}; instead, remember that you are only interested in the ratio between the two, so all common units and components can be divided out)?
Please enter your answer in terms of the luminosity of the red giant divided by the luminosity of the white dwarf and round to two significant figures. Also, please avoid using commas in your answer.
Chapter 13 Solutions
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 13 - Prob. 1RQCh. 13 - Prob. 2RQCh. 13 - Prob. 3RQCh. 13 - Prob. 4RQCh. 13 - Prob. 5RQCh. 13 - Prob. 6RQCh. 13 - Prob. 7RQCh. 13 - Prob. 8RQCh. 13 - Prob. 9RQCh. 13 - Prob. 10RQ
Ch. 13 - Prob. 11RQCh. 13 - Prob. 12RQCh. 13 - Prob. 13RQCh. 13 - Prob. 14RQCh. 13 - Prob. 15RQCh. 13 - Prob. 16RQCh. 13 - Prob. 17RQCh. 13 - Prob. 18RQCh. 13 - Prob. 19RQCh. 13 - Prob. 20RQCh. 13 - Prob. 21RQCh. 13 - Prob. 22RQCh. 13 - Prob. 23RQCh. 13 - Prob. 24RQCh. 13 - Prob. 25RQCh. 13 - Prob. 1PCh. 13 - Prob. 2PCh. 13 - Prob. 3PCh. 13 - Prob. 4PCh. 13 - Prob. 5PCh. 13 - Prob. 6PCh. 13 - Prob. 7PCh. 13 - Prob. 8PCh. 13 - Add a fourth column to Table 13-1 and write in the...Ch. 13 - Prob. 10PCh. 13 - Prob. 11PCh. 13 - Prob. 12PCh. 13 - Prob. 13PCh. 13 - Prob. 14PCh. 13 - Prob. 15PCh. 13 - Prob. 2SOPCh. 13 - Prob. 1LTLCh. 13 - Prob. 2LTLCh. 13 - Prob. 3LTLCh. 13 - Prob. 4LTLCh. 13 - Prob. 5LTL
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Would you expect to find any white dwarfs in the Orion Nebula? (See The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets outside the Solar System to remind yourself of its characteristics.) Why or why not?arrow_forwardIf a visual binary system were to have two equal-mass stars, how would they be located relative to the center of the mass of the system? What would you observe as you watched these stars as they orbited the center of mass, assuming very circular orbits, and assuming the orbit was face on to your view?arrow_forwardOne way to calculate the radius of a star is to use its luminosity and temperature and assume that the star radiates approximately like a blackbody. Astronomers have measured the characteristics of central stars of planetary nebulae and have found that a typical central star is 16 times as luminous and 20 times as hot (about 110,000 K) as the Sun. Find the radius in terms of the Sun’s. How does this radius compare with that of a typical white dwarf?arrow_forward
- Betelgeuse is a red giant at a distance of 428 light years. In the future it will become a supernova similar to Tycho's supernova which was observed in 1572 and lies at a distance of 9800 light years. At its peak, its brightness was similar to that of Venus (which has a peak apparent magnitude of -4). What might we expect the peak apparent magnitude of the Betelgeuse supernova explosion to be?arrow_forwardFor a main sequence star with luminosity L, how many kilograms of hydrogen is being converted into helium per second? Use the formula that you derive to estimate the mass of hydrogen atoms that are converted into helium in the interior of the sun (LSun = 3.9 x 1026 W). (Note: the mass of a hydrogen atom is 1 mproton and the mass of a helium atom is 3.97 mproton. You need four hydrogen nuclei to form one helium nucleus.)arrow_forwardWe will take a moment to compare how brightly a white dwarf star shines compared to a red giant star. For the sake of this probler, lets assume a white dwarf has a temperature around 10,000 K and a red giant has a temperature around 5,000 K. As for their stellar radii, the white dwarf has a radius about 1/100th that of the Sun and a red giant has a radius around 100 times larger than the Sun. With this in mind, how does the luminosity of a red giant star compare to that of a white dwarf (Hint: do not try to enter all of these numbers into the luminosity equation fit won't go well); instead, remember that you are only interested in the ratio between the two, so all common units and components can be divided out)? Please enter your answer in terms of the luminosity of the red giant divided by the luminosity of the white dwarf and round to two significant figures. Also, please avoid using commas in your answer. A Moving to another question will save this response. Question 1 of 32 >» 31…arrow_forward
- A red giant star might have radius = 104 times the solar radius, and luminosity = 1730 times solar luminosity. Use the data given below to calculate the temperature at the surface of the red giant star. Data: solar radius R = 7 x 108 meters solar luminosity L = 4 x 1026 watts Stefan-Boltzmann constant a = 5.67 x 10-8 W m² K-4 (in K) A: 1226 OB: 1434 OC: 1678 OD: 1963 OE: 2297 OF: 2688 OG: 3145 OH: 3679arrow_forwardIf an X-ray binary consists of a 17-solar-mass star and a neutron star orbiting each other every 23.2 days, what is their average separation? (Hints: Use the version of Kepler's third law for binary stars, MA + MB = a^3/p^2 make sure you express quantities in units of AU, solar masses, and years. Assume the mass of the neutron star is 1.4 solar masses.)arrow_forwardUsing solar units, we find that a star has 4 times the luminosity of the Sun, a mass 1.25 times the mass of the Sun, and a surface temperature of 4090 K (take the Sun's surface temperature to be 5784 K for the sake of this problem). This means the star has a radius of.................... solar radii and is a .................... star (use the classification).arrow_forward
- We learned in class that, when stars collapse under their own gravity, they conserve angular momentum, which is proportional to mass times radius times rotational speed. Suppose the entire sun (radius 695,700 km) were to collapse to a neutron star with a radius of only 10 km. Before the collapse, the rotational speed at the equator = 2.0 km/s, and the rotational period is 25 days. Using the same steps that you used for the white dwarf calculations, calculate the final rotation period if the entire sun were to collapse to a 10 km radius neutron star. Give your answer in units of seconds. Answer: Checkarrow_forwardFor the PP chain 0.7% of the mass participating in nuclear fusion is liberated as energy which produces a star's luminosity. Assume that the core of a main sequence star consists of 10% of its total mass. Hence, estimate the lifetime of a star on the main sequence in terms of its luminosity L/L. Give your answer in years. You may use the observed mass-luminosity relation L x M³.5, where M is the star's total mass. Using typical values, calculate estimates for the main sequence lifetime of a KO star and a 05 star. Describe briefly why your estimate might be more accurate for K stars compared to O stars.arrow_forwardIf an X-ray binary consists of a 10-solar-mass star and a neutron star orbiting each other every 20.8 days, what is their average separation? (Hints: Use the version of Kepler's third law for binary stars, M, + M3 = ; make sure you express quantities in units of AU, solar masses, and years. Assume the mass of the neutron star is 1.6 solar masses.) a3 AUarrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
- Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399944Author:Michael A. SeedsPublisher:Cengage LearningFoundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage LearningAstronomyPhysicsISBN:9781938168284Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. WolffPublisher:OpenStax
- Stars and GalaxiesPhysicsISBN:9781305120785Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399944
Author:Michael A. Seeds
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399920
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:OpenStax
Stars and Galaxies
Physics
ISBN:9781305120785
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning