Question

Consider a high-mass star just prior to a supernova explosion, with a core of diameter 20 km and density 4 × 10^17 kg/m^3. (a) Calculate the mass of the core. Give your answer in kilograms and in solar masses. (b) Calculate the force of gravity on a 1-kg object at the surface of the core. How many times larger is this than the gravitational force on such an object at the surface of the Earth? (c) Calculate the escape speed from the surface of the star’s core. Give your answer in meters per second and as a fraction of the speed of light. What does this tell you about how powerful a supernova explosion must be in order to blow material away from the star’s core?

Answer 1