21st Century Astronomy
6th Edition
ISBN: 9780393428063
Author: Kay
Publisher: NORTON
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Chapter 16.1, Problem 16.1CYU
To determine
The reason for which the main-sequence lifetime of a star depend on its mass.
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4. Suppose we observe a binary star system in which one star is much more massive than the other
and both are on the main sequence. We measure that the smaller star orbits the larger at a
distance of 10¹3 m with a speed of 10 m/s.
a. What is the mass of the larger star?
b. Which star has a higher luminosity?
c. Which has a larger radius?
d. Which is hotter?
There is a mass–luminosity relation because
a.
hydrogen fusion produces helium.
b.
stars expand when they become giants.
c.
stars support their weight by making energy.
d.
the helium flash occurs in degenerate matter.
e.
all stars on the main sequence have about the same radius.
Which of the following is wrong?
A. Tidal effects in a binary star system become more important when one or both stars become giant stars.
B. There is no fusion occurring in the core of a low-mass red giant star.
C. Gold (the element) is produced during the supernova explosions of high-mass stars.
D. Suppose the star Betelgeuse were to become a supernova tomorrow, we'd see by naked eyes a cloud of gas expanding away from the position where Betelgeuse used to be. Over a period of a few weeks, this cloud would fill a large part of our sky.
Chapter 16 Solutions
21st Century Astronomy
Ch. 16.1 - Prob. 16.1CYUCh. 16.3 - Prob. 16.3CYUCh. 16.4 - Prob. 16.4CYUCh. 16.5 - Prob. 16.5CYUCh. 16 - Prob. 1QPCh. 16 - Prob. 2QPCh. 16 - Prob. 3QPCh. 16 - Prob. 4QPCh. 16 - Prob. 5QPCh. 16 - Prob. 6QP
Ch. 16 - Prob. 8QPCh. 16 - Prob. 9QPCh. 16 - Prob. 10QPCh. 16 - Prob. 11QPCh. 16 - Prob. 12QPCh. 16 - Prob. 13QPCh. 16 - Prob. 14QPCh. 16 - Prob. 15QPCh. 16 - Prob. 16QPCh. 16 - Prob. 17QPCh. 16 - Prob. 18QPCh. 16 - Prob. 19QPCh. 16 - Prob. 20QPCh. 16 - Prob. 21QPCh. 16 - Prob. 23QPCh. 16 - Prob. 24QPCh. 16 - Prob. 25QPCh. 16 - Prob. 26QPCh. 16 - Prob. 27QPCh. 16 - Prob. 28QPCh. 16 - Prob. 29QPCh. 16 - Prob. 30QPCh. 16 - Prob. 31QPCh. 16 - Prob. 32QPCh. 16 - Prob. 33QPCh. 16 - Prob. 34QPCh. 16 - Prob. 35QPCh. 16 - Prob. 36QPCh. 16 - Prob. 37QPCh. 16 - Prob. 38QPCh. 16 - Prob. 39QPCh. 16 - Prob. 40QPCh. 16 - Prob. 41QPCh. 16 - Prob. 42QPCh. 16 - Prob. 43QPCh. 16 - Prob. 44QPCh. 16 - Prob. 45QP
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- Which of the following binary star systems cannot exist? A. A 1 solar-mass main sequence star and a 4 solar mass red giant with a size 100 times smaller than the orbital distance. B. A 15 solar-mass main sequence star and a 10 solar mass red giant with a size 100 times smaller than the orbital distance. C. A 1 solar-mass main sequence star and a 4 solar-mass main sequence star. D. A 2 solar-mass main sequence star and a 1 solar mass red giant with a size a few times smaller than the orbital distance.arrow_forwardWhich of the following statements is wrong? A. A main-sequence star is cooler and brighter than it was as a protostar. B. Carbon fusion occurs in high-mass stars but not in low-mass stars because the cores of low-mass stars never contain significant amounts of carbon. C. when a main-sequence star exhausts its core hydrogen fuel supply, the core shrinks while the rest of the star expands. D. After a supernova explosion, the remains of the stellar core will be either a neutron star or a black hole.arrow_forwardWhat is the most reliable way to measure the mass of a star for which the distance is unknown? a. Apply the mass-temperature relation. b. Measure its orbit around another star. c. Measure its radius, then compute its volume and multiply by density to get the mass. d. Compute its spectroscopic parallax, then apply the mass-luminosity relation.arrow_forward
- The theory that the collapse of a massive star’s iron core produces neutrinos was supported by a. the size and structure of the Crab nebula. b. laboratory measurements of the mass of the neutrino. c. the brightening of supernovae a few days after they are first visible. d. underground counts from solar neutrinos. e. the detection of neutrinos from the supernova of 1987.arrow_forwardA group of graduate students, bored during a cloudy night at a the observatory, begin to make bets about the time different stars will take to evolve. If they have a cluster of stars which were all born roughly the same time, and want to know which star will become a red giant first, which of the following stars should they bet on? a. a star that would type O on the main sequence star b. a star about 1/2 the mass of our sun c. a star about 8% the mass of our sun d. all stars reach the red giant stage in roughly the same number of yearsarrow_forwardAs a white dwarf cools, its radius will not change because a. pressure resulting from nuclear reactions in a shell just below the surface keeps it from collapsing. b. pressure does not depend on temperature for a white dwarf because the electrons are degenerate. c. pressure does not depend on temperature because the white dwarf is too hot. d. pressure does not depend on temperature because the star has exhausted all its nuclear fuels. e. material accreting onto it from a companion maintains a constant radius.arrow_forward
- The diagram below shows an H-R diagram with life track of a 1-solar-mass star, with various stages labeled A through E. Temperature What will happen to the star after stage E? A. It will gain mass until it collapses under its own weight. B. It will begin burning carbon in its core. C. It will explode in a supernova. D. It will collapse to make a neutron star. E. It will eject a planetary nebula. Luminosity →arrow_forwardThe triple-alpha process a. controls the pulsations in Cepheid variable stars. b. is the nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium in massive stars. c. is the process that produces the neutrinos we receive from the sun. d. requires a temperature of about 5,000,000 K to operate. e. fuses helium nuclei to make carbon and occurs during helium flash.arrow_forwardYou discover a binary star system in which one member is a 15 solar-mass main-sequence star and the other star is a 10 solar-mass giant. Why should you be surprised, at least at first? A. It doesn't make sense to find a giant in a binary star system. B. The two stars in a binary system should both be at the same point in stellar evolution; that is, they should either both be main-sequence stars or both be giants. C. The two stars should be the same age, so the more massive one should have become a giant first. D. The odds of ever finding two such massive stars in the same binary system are so small as to make it inconceivable that such a system could be discovered. E. A star with a mass of 15 solar-mass is too big to be a main-sequence star.arrow_forward
- Star clusters are important to our study of stars because a. all stars formed in star clusters. b. the sun was once a member of a globular cluster. c. they give us a method to test our theories and models of stellar evolution. d. they are the only objects that contain Cepheid variables. e. all of the above are true.arrow_forwardAll massive main sequence stars reside in clouds of glowing gas. The four powerful stars in the center of the Orion Nebula are good examples. Lower mass stars like the Sun generally don't have clouds of gas around them. a. Why do powerful stars reside in gas clouds? b. What is making the gas glow exactly? For the last question, refer to the surface temperature of these stars, and to Wien's Law.arrow_forwardBased on what you know about main-sequence stars, select all of the correct statements from the following list. 1. Since the interiors of stars cannot be observed, there are no theories about their structure. 2. More massive stars are hotter and brighter. 3. The weight of a star must be balanced by internal pressure. 4. More massive stars live longer; they take longer to use up all their energy. 5. Stars change position on the main sequence throughout their lives. 6. Outward energy flow in a star is by conduction only.arrow_forward
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