Astrophysics JustInTime:

Thursday, October 18 by 6:30 am

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from the reading in 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 ...

a) what are three pieces of circumstantial evidence that make it seem reasonable that hydrogen-to-helium fusion could be going on in the sun?         

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

   2. What are five things (there are actually 8) conserved in every nuclear reaction? 
            (or even any chemical reaction for that matter)
            You may need to go back to a physics book!! and review  (oh... the horror)
            (at least 3 of these you learned in Physics;
            1 more you should have learned in Astrophysics this trimester;
            another 2 you know from chemistry, if not physics
            some of these overlap)

            to get credit for this question, you need to give me at least 4 of the 5 you
            are supposed to know

            (Please don't give me extra things in an attempt to cover your, umm, bases;
            if you do give me something that is not conserved, 
            this will subtract 0.5 from the number of correct things you give me)
 


 

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

               

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