What Prevents a White Dwarf Star From Collapsing?
This discussion will dwell on Question 9, “A white dwarf star is prevented from collapsing by.” My choice was “degenerate matter.” I answered this question the way I did because, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (2021), white dwarfs have degenerate gas, meaning that all the energy levels in their atoms are full of electrons. The degenerate gas prevents collapsing because gravity cannot compress the white dwarf without removing the electrons around the white dwarf. Therefore, the white dwarf cannot be compressed by gravity because, according to quantum mechanics, there is no more available space. NASA (2021) notes that the degenerate matter around the white dwarf varies based on the size of the white dwarf to prevent collapse. For instance, large white dwarfs have smaller degenerate matter because more mass requires squeezing more electrons together to maintain enough external pressure to sustain the extra mass. However, the maximum mass that a white dwarf can have is limited to 1.4 times the Sun’s mass (NASA, 2021). Many white dwarfs are also surrounded by a crust containing oxygen and carbon atoms protecting them from external pressure. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.
Interesting Remarks about the Module
The module was informative because it contained detailed information about stars and the solar system. The most interesting thing was learning about white dwarfs. The module provided detailed information about white dwarfs, such as how they are formed, why they do not collapse, and their sizes. This information increased my interest in learning about the white dwarfs from different sources, such as NASA and astronomy books. The module also increased my interest in learning more about the Sun to understand why it changes into a red giant and the different sequences that impact its appearance. Learning more about the white dwarfs and the Sun made understanding most concepts within the module easier, thus enhancing my knowledge of the solar system and celestial objects.
References
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2021). Imagine the universe. NASA. https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs2.html
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Question
Read the Module Learning Objectives. Next, have this downloaded module question document open with the Power Point lecture open. The questions approximately follow the order of the lecture topics. Play the lecture once or, preferably, twice. When you reach the end of material covering subtopics, “pause frames” are marked in the lecture. Open and use any interactive animation links preceding some questions. Answer the specified questions. Type or write notes directly into your downloaded or printed document. You will then be ready to take the Module Assessment Quiz.
CAUTION: These questions cover only some of the material in the lecture. The order of the questions and some wording may be different in the Module Assessment Quiz. Also you should have a calculator (preferably a simple scientific calculator).
A white dwarf star is prevented from collapsing by. D
A Nuclear energy it is generating.
B Its gravitational force.
C Hubble’s law of extragalactic redshifts.
D Degenerate matter.
E Degenerate astronomers observing the star.