Solved: After determining that the Sun has existed for

Chapter 44, Problem 78

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After determining that the Sun has existed for hundreds of millions of years, but before the discovery of nuclear physics, scientists could not explain why the Sun has continued to burn for such a long time interval. For example, if it were a coal fire, it would have burned up in about 3 000 yr. Assume the Sun, whose mass is equal to 1.99 3 1030 kg, originally consisted entirely of hydrogen and its total power output is 3.85 3 1026 W. (a) Assuming the energy-generating mechanism of the Sun is the fusion of hydrogen into helium via the net reaction 4(1 1H) 1 2(e2) S 4 2He 1 2n 1 g calculate the energy (in joules) given off by this reaction. (b) Take the mass of one hydrogen atom to be equal to 1.67 3 10227 kg. Determine how many hydrogen atoms constitute the Sun. (c) If the total power output remains constant, after what time interval will all the hydrogen be converted into helium, making the Sun die? (d) How does your answer to part (c) compare with current estimates of the expected life of the Sun, which are 4 billion to 7 billion years?