Chapter 13 Practice Questions
.docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
York University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
1740
Subject
Astronomy
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
9
Uploaded by BailiffRainWaterBuffalo12
Chapter 13 Practice Questions
Review Questions
1.
What is a
molecular cloud
? Briefly describe the process by which a protostar forms from gas in a molecular cloud.
2.
Why do protostars rotate rapidly? How can a close binary star system
form?
3.
Why does a spinning disk of gas surround a protostar? Describe key phenomena seen among protostars, such as strong
stellar winds
and
jets.
4.
What are the minimum and maximum masses for a star, and why do these limits occur? What is a
brown dwarf
?
5.
What is
degeneracy pressure,
and how does it differ from
thermal pressure
? Explain why degeneracy pressure can support a stellar core against gravity even when the core becomes cold.
6.
Briefly describe the Sun’s life stages after it exhausts its core hydrogen. Discuss both the changes occurring in the Sun’s core and the changes visible from outside the Sun.
7.
Why does helium fusion require much higher temperatures than hydrogen fusion? Briefly explain why helium fusion in the Sun will begin with a
helium flash.
8.
What is a
planetary nebula
? What happens to the core of a star after a planetary nebula occurs?
9.
What will happen to Earth as the Sun changes in the future?
10.
What do we mean by a star’s
life track
on an H-R diagram? Summarize the stages of the Sun’s life track in
Figure 13.13
.
11.
In broad terms, explain how the life of a high-mass star differs from that of a low-mass star.
12.
Describe some of the nuclear reactions that can occur in high-
mass stars after they exhaust their core helium. Why do these reactions occur in high-mass but not in low-mass stars?
13.
Why can’t iron be fused to release energy?
14.
Summarize some of the observational evidence supporting our ideas about how the elements form in massive stars.
15.
What event initiates a
supernova,
and why is a neutron star or black hole left behind? What observational evidence supports our understanding of supernovae?
16.
Why can the lives of close binary stars differ from those of single stars? Describe the
Algol paradox
and its resolution.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help