Physics - Hertzsprung-Russell Diagrams
OCR A-Level Physics 2022
Flashcards
Identifying the diagram and its axes
Which out of luminosity and temperature goes in the wrong direction on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?
Temperature.
What is sometimes confusing about the temperature values on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?
They measure “effective temperature”, not the temperature of the core.
What are the units for luminosity measured on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?
Solar luminosity, $L _ \odot$
Are the scales on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram logarithmic or linear?
Logarithmic.
The sun’s path and regions of the diagram
What sort of stars does the long diagonal strip on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram consist of?
Main sequence stars.
Why couldn’t you place a black hole on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?
Because it doesn’t really have a defined temperature.