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EXERCISE 24

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energy: TOC for Knowledge Concepts, Exercises, and Solutions


(a) The gravitational pressure of a star's atmosphere on its core
is given approximately by the equation:

   P = 19 * (GM/R^2) * (M/R^2)

where M is the mass of the star, and R is the radius of the star.
So, what is the gravitational pressure at the core of the Sun,
in units of newtons per square meter?  How does this compare to
atmospheric pressure here on Earth, which is about 101,000 newtons
per square meter?


(b) If we treat the Sun's atmosphere as an ideal gas, then we can
use the ideal gas law in the form P = nkT to calculate the Sun's
core temperature.  In this case, 

   n = the number density of gas particles at the Sun's core, 
       which is about 1.0 * 10^32 per cubic meter; and
   k = a constant of proportionality, 1.38 * 10^(-23) joule/K.

Using the result from Question 4(a) above, compute the Sun's
core temperature.  What is the temperature of the hottest
thing you can think of here on Earth?  How does that compare
with the Sun's core temperature?