PHYS466 STUDY GUIDE FOR FINAL
EXAM
Last revised
04-29-2011 at 16:10 Equations are listed below, but I may add more
later.
Study everything on the study guides
for all previous tests.
Study all previous tests.
DO ALL THE ASSIGNED PROBLEMS
TOPICS:
Nature of EM radiation. Laws of radiation.
Planckian or Black Body radiation curves. Stellar spectra and the production
of absorption lines. Spectral Classes and relation to surface temperature
of a star.
The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram. Properties
of the groupings in the H-R Diagram. Determining stellar masses. Spectroscopic
parallax method.
The virial theorem.
Stellar Evolution: The order of the
different stages of stellar evolution. Study the evolutionary tracks
in Chapter 6 in detail.
The defining characteristics of protostars,
main-sequence stars, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Reddenning,
color excess, interstellar absorption.
QUESTIONS TO RESEARCH (Don't
ask me for the answers, find them):
-
Define absolute magnitude.
-
In the H-R Diagram, why are most stars
found to define a locus called the main sequence?
-
What are the physical differences between
white dwarfs and red dwarfs.
-
What are the defining characteristics
of main sequence stars?
-
What is the mass-luminosity law and for
what stars is this valid?
-
What important effect do stars have on
the galactic interstellar medium?
-
What is a brown dwarf?
-
Know what is meant by the Kelvin-Helmholtz
contraction.
-
What is the virial theorem regarding the
total, thermal, and gravitational potential
-
energy in a star that has collapsed
from an entended cloud of gas.
-
Know why very early pre-main sequence
stars are not usually visible.
-
What is a T Tauri star?
-
Know what is meant by the Kumar limit.
-
What are the Hayashi tracks?
-
What stage of evolution follows the main
sequence stage for the Sun?
-
What is the final stage of evolution for
the Sun?
-
How can a star with a mass 10 times the
Sun's become a white dwarf star?
-
What is the relationship between the age
of a star and its chemical composition?
-
Why would we not expect to find planetary
systems around the first generation of stars that formed in the Galaxy?
-
What is meant by the helium flash?
-
What is the triple alpha reaction and
when it occurs.
-
What are Iben tracks?
-
What us the virial theorem?
-
What is the electron degeneracy condition?
Equations to Memorize:
All previous equations listed in the
review for test 1.
Equations: 1-25, 4-81, 5-1, 5-5, 5-6,
5-7, 5-38, 6-37.
END OF FILE