Astrophysics JustInTime:

Due Tuesday, April 26  by 8:30 am

Your name:
Your e-mail id:
from the reading on nuclear energy in both walker's Physics

and Universe 18(1)


1. What is the evidence that hydrogen-to-helium nuclear fusion is the source of the sun's luminosity?  Since we can't see the center of the sun, most of the evidence is circumstantial (or inferential) rather than direct evidence ...

what are some pieces of circumstantial evidence (there are at least 3) that make it reasonable that hydrogen-to-helium fusion is going on in the sun?         

is there any direct evidence that nuclear reactions are going on at the center of the sun?
 
 
 

   2. What are the six things conserved in every nuclear reaction? 
            (or any chemical reaction for that matter)
            You may need to go back to a physics book and review!!  (at least 3 of these you learned in Physics
            earlier this year; 2 more you should have learned in Astrophysics this trimester)

            to get credit for this question, you need to give me at least 4 of the 6
            (and if you give me things that are not conserved,  this will subtract 0.5 from the number
            of correct things you give me; if you get all 6 there may be special prizes!)
 


 

   3.  Why is it that fusion of two hydrogen nuclei can take place in the sun even though hydrogen
                nuclei both have positive electric charge and therefore repel electrically?

I did my own work on this JIT.

Click on the  button to send the results to Kolena

or click
  to start over.

[return to the Astro course home page]