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Chapter 1   | Chapter 3   | Chapter 4   | Chapter 17 part 1| Chapter 17 part 2 | Chapter 2   | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 |Chapter 25| Chapter 26 | Chapter 27  

Study Questions Part 1        Study Questions Part 2        Study Questions Part 3      Study Questions Part 4

STUDY QUESTIONS PART 3

Study Questions from part of Ch. 16: Energy generation in the Sun

These questions approximately correlate with the material covered in Week 8 

1. How is energy produced in the interior of the Sun?
2. Describe the proton-proton cycle.
3. How is energy produced in the sun?
4. What are solar neutrinos?
5. Why are neutrinos expected form the sun?
6. How are neutrinos detected?
7. Since neutrinos are observed to be coming from the sun, what is the "solar neutrino problem"?
8. What are the two main possible explanations of the problem? Which seems to be the correct answer?

Review and Discussion: Chapter 19: all

Study Questions Chapter 20

These questions approximately correlate with the material covered in Week 9 

1. What does an evolutionary track on the HR diagram show?
2. Draw an evolution track for a 1 solar mass star. Label the different stages of post main sequence evolution.
3. What causes stars to evolve off the main sequence?
4. What is "hydrostatic equilibrium"?
5. Explain why main sequence stars are so stable.
6. Outline the stages of post main sequence evolution for a 1 solar mass star.
7. What is the "proton-proton chain"?
8. What is "hydrogen shell burning"?
9. What is the "triple alpha process"?
10. What are the "horizontal branch" and the "asymptotic giant branch"?
11. What is the "helium flash"?
12. What are the heaviest elements produced in core of a 1 solar mass star?
13. What is a planetary nebula?
14. Describe the appearance of planetary nebulae.
15. Explain how planetary nebulae are formed.
16. What elements are present in a planetary nebula?
17. What is the maximum mass of a white dwarf star?
18. Describe the composition and state of a white dwarf star.
19. What is the typical size of a white dwarf?
20. How does the mass of a star affect it's post main sequence evolution?
21. Compare and contrast the characteristics of open clusters and globular clusters.
22. What information can we learn about a cluster from its HR diagram?
23. What is main sequence fitting? What is the main sequence turnoff?
24. Explain the possible changes to a star's evolution if it is in a binary system.
25. What is a "Roche lobe"?
26. What are "mass transfer binaries" and "contact binaries"?
27. What is unusual about the Algol system, and how can its strange properties be explained by its being a binary system?

Review and Discussion: Chapter 20: all

Study Questions Chapter 21

These questions approximately correlate with the material covered in Week 10 

1. What is a "nova"?
2. What is a "light curve"?
3. What is an "accretion disk"?
4. Explain how a nova forms. What happens in a recurring nova?
5. What is a "supernova"?
6. What are the observational differences between type I and type II supernova?
7. What is the cause of a type I supernova?
8. What is the cause of a type II supernova?
9. How does the number of type I supernova compare to the number of type II supernova? Why is this so?
10. What is the heaviest element formed in a massive star that will become a supernova?
11. Why does the formation of Fe in the core of a star result in a supernova?
12. What is "photodisintegration"?
13. What is "neutron degeneracy pressure"?
14. What causes the supernova blast?
15. What is the role of neutrinos is a supernova?
16. What is a "supernova remnant"?
17. Describe the Crab supernova remnant.
18. What is "stellar nucleosynthesis"?
19. Discuss the significance of SN1987A.
20. What is the general trend in the abundances of the difference elements?
21. Why are higher and higher temperatures needed for fusion reactions of heavier and heavier nuclei?
22. What is the role of Helium in the synthesis of heavy elements? What is "Helium capture"?
23. What is the general process for making elements lighter than iron?
24. What are the processes for making elements heavier than iron?
25. Explain  the r process and the s process. Where does each occur?
26. What is "explosive nucleosynthesis"?
27. Discuss the observational evidence for stellar nucleosynthesis.

 Review and Discussion: Chapter 21: all

Study Questions Chapter 22

These questions approximately correlate with the material covered in   Week 10  and  Week 11 

1. Describe the properties of a neutron star.
2. What is the maximum mass of a neutron star? What is the typical size of a neutron star? What is the typical density of a  neutron star?
3. What is a pulsar? How were pulsars discovered? How are they typically observed now?
4. Explain the "lighthouse" model.
5. What is an x-ray burster?
6. What are gamma ray bursts? What are the theories of the origin of gamma ray bursts?
7. What is a stellar black hole? What are the characteristics of stellar black holes? How is a stellar black hole formed?
8. What is the escape speed of a black hole?
9. What is the "event horizon"?  What is the "Schwarzschild radius"?
10. How do you observe a black hole? Discuss the observational evidence that supports the existence of stellar black holes.

Review and Discussion: Chapter 22: all

Study Questions Chapter 23

These questions approximately correlate with the material covered in Week 11  

1. What are the characteristics of Cepheid variable stars?
2. Explain the process for using Cepheid variable stars to determine distance.
3. What is the period-luminosity relation?
4. What is the difference between a RR Lyra and Cepheid variables?