Differences Among Main Sequence Stars
The property of a star upon which all other things depend (for a given
chemical composition, no rotation, no magnetic fields) is the Mass
of the star. Let's see how the properties of a star depend upon its mass.
- Recall that the central pressure of a star is roughly given by
P ~ GM**2/R**4. For a star like the Sun which is dominated
by normal gas pressure, P = N k T ===> the central
temperature of a star is roughly given by T ~ M/R. So,
for stars like the Sun, as M increases, T increases (a complaint should be
that we never said anything about the radius. We find that the radius
increases with M but not as fast as R ~ M ===> T can depend on M less
strongly than T ~ M, but it still increases with M).
- What are some consequences of the increasing central temperature with
Mass?
