PHY 111, Fall, 2005

Week 11
  Main Objectives
bulletYou should know
bulletwhy mass and luminosity are related
bulletthe two primary factors that determine the properties of a star
bulletwhat stars on the main sequence have in common
bulletabout how long a star remains on the main sequence
bullethow elements heavier than iron are formed
bullethow astronomers are looking for black holes
bulletwhat the Chadrasekhar limit is
bulletwhat a protostar is and what the criteria is for deciding when a protostar becomes a star
bullethow to determine the age of a star cluster
bulletwhat a planetary nebula is and what causes it
bulletwhat interstellar reddening is and what causes it
bulletthat hot, luminous stars of spectral type O and B often occur in clusters in association with interstellar gas clouds and what significance this has in our ideas of the origin of stars
bulletwhat angular momentum is and how it relates to star formation
bulletYou should be able to explain
bulletwhat is meant by a time step in a stellar model calculation
bulletwhy there are no stars with masses less than 1/12 that of the Sun and none with masses greater than 100 solar masses
bulletwhat is meant by the term "helium flash"
bulletwhy a star will eventually run out of nuclear energy
bullethow a white dwarf is formed
bulletwhat causes a supernova
bulletwhy the most massive stars have the shortest lifetimes
bulletwhat causes a star to become a red giant
bullethow emission nebula, absorption nebula, and reflection nebula are produced
bulletYou should be able to describe:
bulletthe composition of the interstellar medium
bulletthe process through which a star is formed
bulletthe three ways in which a star can lose mass (continuous mass loss, mass exchange in binary systems, and supernovae)
bulletYou should be able to describe the following types of stars:
bulletwhite dwarf
bulletneutron star
bulletpulsar
bulletblack hole
bulletred giant
Tuesday Review workbook material from last week. Discussion of interstellar medium and how stars are formed.

Outside of class: Read  Chapter 14.   Go over the Chapter 13 review questions.
Thursday Lecture on how stars change during their lifetimes.

Outside of class: Read Chapter 15 except sections 7 and 9.  Go over the Ch. 14 review questions.  Complete Ch. 14 Questions to Ponder 3, 4, and 7 to be turned in next Tuesday.