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 𝐿∝𝑀 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 𝑡∝𝐿 and 𝑡∝𝑀 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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