Life Cycle of a StarOxford AQA IGCSE Physics: Flashcards

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What force pulls dust and gas together to form a star?

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What force pulls dust and gas together to form a star?: Gravitational attraction.
Which two elements mainly make up the dust and gas that stars form from?: Hydrogen and helium.
What happens during the main sequence of a star's life?: Hydrogen nuclei fuse to make helium, releasing energy; gravitational and outward forces are balanced.
Where in a star is temperature and density greatest, and most fusion occurs?: The core.
How does a star's mass affect its core and the elements it can fuse?: The more massive the star, the hotter its core, and the heavier the nuclei it can create by fusion.
State the life cycle stages of a star similar to the Sun.: Main sequence, then red giant, then white dwarf, then black dwarf.
State the life cycle stages of a star much bigger than the Sun.: Main sequence, then red supergiant, then supernova, then neutron star or black hole.
What happens in a red supergiant?: Helium fuses to carbon, and then progressively heavier nuclei are formed.
What determines whether a massive star's remnant becomes a neutron star or a black hole?: The mass of the remaining core after the supernova.
Where are elements heavier than iron formed?: In a supernova explosion.
How are elements distributed throughout the universe?: By supernova explosions, which scatter the elements formed in stars.
What determines a star's entire life cycle?: Its mass.