Lesson Plan: The Mass-Luminosity Relation Physics

This lesson plan includes the objectives and prerequisites of the lesson teaching students how to estimate the mass and lifetime of a star when given its luminosity.

Objectives

Students will be able to

  • understand that the luminosity, 𝐿, of a star is proportional to its mass, 𝑀, cubed,
  • understand that 𝐿𝑀 is an observational law and many stars and celestial objects deviate from this law, so it cannot be used to calculate precise values,
  • understand that the amount of time a star spends on the main sequence is proportional to 𝐿, meaning that brighter stars have shorter lifetimes,
  • understand that the amount of time a star spends on the main sequence is proportional to 𝑀, meaning that more massive stars have shorter lifetimes,
  • understand that 𝑡𝐿 and 𝑡𝑀 are observational laws and many stars and celestial objects deviate from these laws, so they cannot be used to calculate precise values.

Prerequisites

Students should already be familiar with

  • the main sequence,
  • stellar evolution,
  • luminosity.

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