Imagine you are plunging into the Sun, starting from Earth. Briefly describe what you will see as you descend

What will be an ideal response?


First you will feel the light pressure of particles from the solar wind. As you approach the Sun, you will enter the corona, an extremely hot layer of gas, but so low in density that you won't really feel how hot it is. The next layer you encounter will be the chromosphere, a very hot layer of gas just above the visible surface of the Sun. As you plunge through the "surface" of the Sun, the photosphere, the temperature will be a slightly cooler 5,800 K, compared to the outer layers, and you will see the slightly cooler regions of sunspots and the granulation on the surface caused by the convection underneath. You will then enter this convective layer, feeling regions of hot plasma rising upward to meet you and seeing cooler gas descending from the surface. After passing through this layer, you will reach the radiation zone, where photons are engaged in a random dance as they are continuously absorbed and re-emitted by the hot gas there. You will then reach the source of these photons, the core of the Sun, which is actively involved in nuclear fusion, converting hydrogen into helium and releasing multitudes of photons and neutrinos.

Physics & Space Science

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If a spring-operated gun can shoot a pellet to a maximum height of 100 m on Earth, how high could the pellet rise if fired on the Moon, where g = 1.6 m/s2?

A) 17 m B) 160 m C) 3.6 km D) 100 m E) 610 m

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A coal-fired plant generates 600 MW of electric power. The plant uses 4.8 × 106 kg of coal each day. The heat of combustion of coal is 3.3 × 107 J/kg

The steam that drives the turbines is at a temperature of 300°C, and the exhaust water is at 37°C. (a) What is the overall efficiency of the plant for generating electric power? (b) What is the Carnot efficiency? (c) How much thermal energy is exhausted each day?

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The inhabitants of a planet in another galaxy have their eyes at the exact center of their 4.0-m-long bodies. How long must a plane mirror be for such a creature to be able to see all of its body in the mirror?

a. 1.0 m b. 2.0 m c. 2.5 m d. 4.0 m e. 8.0 m

Physics & Space Science

A reaction in which a substance reacts with oxygen, bursts into flame, and forms an oxide is called a(n) ______________ reaction

Fill in the blank(s) with correct word

Physics & Space Science