21st Century Astronomy
6th Edition
ISBN: 9780393428063
Author: Kay
Publisher: NORTON
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Chapter 14, Problem 43QP
To determine
To verify the claim that the Sun produces more energy per second than all the electric power plants on Earth could generate in a half-million years.
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Why are measurements of the Sun's 10.7 cm radio emission used to monitor the state of the solar cycle? Choose all correct answers.
A. It provides a repeatable, objective measurement of solar activity
B. It serves as a good proxy for EUV emissions
C. It is measured from space, so it is not affected by clouds
D. It can be used to predict the occurrence of coronal mass ejections
1. The mass of the Sun is about 2x10³0 kg. The Sun was about 72% hydrogen when it first formed.
About 11% of the total amount of the Sun's hydrogen is available for fusion within the Sun's core.
[3 points]
(a) What is the total mass of hydrogen available for fusion, in kg?
(b) The Sun fuses about 600 billion kg of hydrogen each second. Calculate how long the Sun's
initial supply of hydrogen can last. Give your answer in both seconds and years. Hint: use the
result you calculated in part (a).
(c) We know that our Solar System is about 4.5 billion years old. Using your calculation above,
how much longer do we have until the Sun runs out of hydrogen?
Wind farms in Washington have a capacity of 3075 Megawatts (mega means million remember so this is 3075000000 watts). This means if they were all operating at the same time this is how many Joules per second they would produce.
a) Assume all wind farms in Washington are operating at capacity. How much energy in Kwh is produced in one hour?
b) Now it is not windy all the time, so suppose only 60% of the wind farms are operating. How much energy is produced in a 7 day week by these wind farms
c) An average home uses about 250 KWh for a 7 day week. How many homes can be operated by the wind farms in part b
Chapter 14 Solutions
21st Century Astronomy
Ch. 14.1 - Prob. 14.1ACYUCh. 14.1 - Prob. 14.1BCYUCh. 14.2 - Prob. 14.2CYUCh. 14.3 - Prob. 14.3CYUCh. 14.4 - Prob. 14.4CYUCh. 14 - Prob. 1QPCh. 14 - Prob. 2QPCh. 14 - Prob. 3QPCh. 14 - Prob. 4QPCh. 14 - Prob. 5QP
Ch. 14 - Prob. 6QPCh. 14 - Prob. 7QPCh. 14 - Prob. 8QPCh. 14 - Prob. 9QPCh. 14 - Prob. 10QPCh. 14 - Prob. 11QPCh. 14 - Prob. 12QPCh. 14 - Prob. 13QPCh. 14 - Prob. 14QPCh. 14 - Prob. 15QPCh. 14 - Prob. 16QPCh. 14 - Prob. 17QPCh. 14 - Prob. 18QPCh. 14 - Prob. 19QPCh. 14 - Prob. 20QPCh. 14 - Prob. 21QPCh. 14 - Prob. 22QPCh. 14 - Prob. 23QPCh. 14 - Prob. 24QPCh. 14 - Prob. 25QPCh. 14 - Prob. 26QPCh. 14 - Prob. 27QPCh. 14 - Prob. 28QPCh. 14 - Prob. 29QPCh. 14 - Prob. 30QPCh. 14 - Prob. 31QPCh. 14 - Prob. 34QPCh. 14 - Prob. 35QPCh. 14 - Prob. 36QPCh. 14 - Prob. 37QPCh. 14 - Prob. 38QPCh. 14 - Prob. 39QPCh. 14 - Prob. 40QPCh. 14 - Prob. 41QPCh. 14 - Prob. 42QPCh. 14 - Prob. 43QPCh. 14 - Prob. 44QPCh. 14 - Prob. 45QP
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- Explain how we know that the Sun’s energy is not supplied either by chemical burning, as in fires here on Earth, or by gravitational contraction (shrinking).arrow_forwardAssignment - 4. Do We Need Both Nonrenewable and Renewable R.. Attempt 1 of 2 ASSIGNMENTS COURSES 4 10 11 12 Which of the following accounts for 38 percent of non-fossll fuel consumptlon In Germany? O hydroelectric O solar energy O wind O wood NEXT QUESTION READ NEXT SECTION O ASK FOR HELP TERM O2014 Glynlyon, Inc. All rights reserved. f9 f10 >> f8 f6 10 米 IO & 7 %23 %24arrow_forwardThe capture of too few solar neutrinos by Davis in the solar neutrino experiment a. can be explained if the sun is not undergoing thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen in its core. b. indicates that the sun’s core is much cooler than expected. c. indicates that the sun’s core is much hotter than expected. d. indicates that the sun’s core is convective. e. is explained by none of the above.arrow_forward
- . Explain the importance of solar energy power generation with reference to present world energy scenario.arrow_forward1 Describe the interieo of the sun. Label and list all the layers. Explain how sun produce energy.arrow_forwardWhich of the following layers of the Sun can be seen with some type of telescope? Consider all forms of light, but do not consider neutrinos or other particles. (Give ALL correct answers in alphabetical order, i.e., B, AC, BCD...)A) Corona.B) Photosphere.C) Radiation Zone.D) Chromosphere.E) Convection Zone.F) Core.arrow_forward
- Why are measurements of the Sun's 10.7 cm radio emission used to monitor the state of the solar cycle? Choose allcorrect answers.A. It provides a repeatable, objective measurement of solar activityB. It serves as a good proxy for EUV emissionsC. It is measured from space, so it is not affected by cloudsD. It can be used to predict the occurrence of coronal mass ejectionsarrow_forwarda.Calculate the mass loss rate of the Sun M˙ due to the solar wind flow. Assume averageproperties of the solar wind of number density 6 protons cm−3, and a flow speed of 450 kms−1. Express your answer in units of both kg per year, and solar masses per year. b.Suppose the solar wind flow is perfectly radial. Calculate the expected rate of change ofsolar rotation frequency dω/dt at the present time, based on conservation of angular momentum. Give your answer in units of rad s−1 y−1(i.e., radians per second per year) and alsoin terms of fractional change per year, i.e., 1/ωdω/dt .Use a current solar rotation period of P = 25.38 days to calculate the current angularfrequency of rotation ω. The moment of inertia of a uniform sphere is 2/5 MR2. You canassume that the radius of the Sun is approximately constant, and the change in its momentof inertia due to the solar wind is only due to the mass loss. c.By observing the rotation period of stars similar to the Sun, it is inferred that their…arrow_forward1. The Sun’s mass is ~2x1030 kg. If 10% of this is Hydrogen available in the core, how long will the Sun be able to continue fusing hydrogen at this rate? This is considered the Sun's "lifetime". If the Sun is 4.6 billion years old (and assuming it's power output is constant), how many years does it have left?arrow_forward
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