Explain how the balance of gravity versus thermal pressure ...

[ec501234]

Explain how the balance of gravity versus thermal pressure predicts that a cloud should fragment into many stars.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

The planet's orbital period is
 
  A) the time it takes it to rotate and have the same face toward us again.
  B) the time it takes to return to the same location in the sky, relative to the Sun.
  C) the time it takes for a satellite to orbit it.
  D) the time it takes for it to retrograde back to the same position as we pass it.
  E) the time its magnetic field takes to spin once.

[matt95]

Answer to Question 1

Clouds collapse when their self-gravity exceeds the support provided by thermal pressure. For any given density and temperature, any cloud greater than a certain mass (Mbalance in Mathematical Insight 16.1 ) will collapse. As it collapses, the cloud becomes denser and the balance mass becomes smaller. Therefore, individual sub-pieces of the cloud can collapse. The collapsing cloud therefore fragments into many smaller, collapsing pieces. Eventually a cluster of low mass stars is formed rather than a single massive star.

Answer to Question 2

B

[ec501234]

Thanks

[matt95]

Welcome