Review Notes for Exam 2

You should be familiar with the topics listed below. You should also review the Learning Objectives (111kB pdf) on topics covered after the first exam. It is an absolute certainty that you will see questions on Kirchhoff's laws of spectroscopy, the H-R diagram, and the proton-proton cycle on the exam. Know them—together they will account for about 30% of the total points on the exam.

  1. Kepler’s laws of planetary motion
  2. Galileo's telescopic observations and experiments on motion and inertia
  3. Definitions of speed, velocity, acceleration and mass
  4. Newton's laws of motion
  5. Newton's law of universal gravitation
  6. The special theory of relativity
    1. Postulates
    2. Length contraction, mass and time dilation
    3. The twin paradox
    4. Concept of spacetim
  7. The electromagnetic spectrum
    1. Wave-particle duality of EM radiation
    2. The relationship between energy, wavelength, and frequency of EM radiation
    3. The Doppler effect (YouTube video of Amtrak Texas Eagle)
  8. Blackbodies
    1. Wien's law and the Stefan-Boltzmann law (i.e., the shape and properties of the blackbody spectrum)
    2. Kirchhoff’s laws of spectroscopy
    3. Stellar spectra and their classification
    4. The relationship between luminosity, radius, and effective (i.e. surface) temperature of stars
    5. The spectrum of hydrogen (specifically, the Balmer series) and how it is produced
  9. Distance determinations
    1. Apparent magnitude vs. absolute magnitude
    2. Trigonometric parallax
    3. The distance modulus (see Variable Stars in M15 lab)
  10. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
  11. The Sun
    1. The solar interior and mechanisms of energy flow transport
    2. The proton-proton cycle
  12. Post-main sequence evolution of a Sun-like star
    1. Core hydrogen depletion and electron degeneracy
    2. Helium flash, triple alpha process, and red giant phase
    3. Helium depletion, red supergiant phase and helium shell flashes, instability and planetary nebula formation
    4. Chandrasekhar limit, white dwarfs and electron degeneracy

Exam 2 Sample Questions

To help you prepare for the style of questions I often ask, here are a few sample questions to solve:

  1. What three laws did Kepler develop to explain planetary motion?
  2. Sketch a diagram or describe the atmospheric layers of the Sun.
  3. Explain why sunspots are darker than the surrounding photosphere.
  4. What is the triple-alpha process and when does it occur in the life of a star?

Solutions to Sample Questions