Stefan-Boltzmann Law Problems

1. A star with the same color as the Sun is found to produces a luminosity 81 times larger. What is its radius compared to the Sun? Since we are asked to compare this star to the Sun we will use a ratio technique that saves a lot of numerical work. Below I will decode the problem by writing out ht given information, state the Stefan-Boltzmann Law and derive the ratio we need. Given TStar = TSun (since they have the same color) LStar = 81 LSun Determine RStar compared to RSun Stefan Boltzmann Law: L = 4R 2 T 4
2 4 2 4 2 RStar LStar 4R Star TStar RStar TStar = = 2 = 2 2 4 4 LSun 4RSun TSun R Sun TSun RSun 4 TStar 4 T Sun

R Star = R Sun

TStar T Sun

R Star L Star = LSun RSun

TStar T Sun

Now, that we have a simple expression with ratios, well fill in the known ratios and find the unknown ratio
RStar 81 = R Sun
2

4 (1)

RStar R = 81 Sun RStar =9 RSun

The star has a radius 9 times that of the Sun.

2. A star with the same radius as the Sun is found to produce a luminosity 81 times larger. What is its surface temperature, compared to the Sun? The same approach as in the previous problem is useful here. If you re-derived the equation of ratios using the Stefan-Boltzmann Law for the star and the Sun you would get
LStar RStar = LSun RSun TStar T Sun
2

Just as before.
LStar R = 81 and Star = 1 , so In this problem LSun R Sun
TStar T Sun = 81 . Therefore the temperature of the
4

star is 3 (34=81) times the temperature of the Sun.

3. The surface temperature of Arcturus is about half as hot as the Suns, but Arcturus is about 100 times more luminous than the Sun. What is its radius, compared to the Suns? Again, we use a ratio approach where you start with the Stefan-Boltzmann relation, derive the ratio expression and then fill in the known ratios and solve for the unknown ratio. Kjjust as was done in the first problem.
LStar RStar = LSun RSun TStar T Sun
2

LStar T 1 = 100 and, Star = so 100 = R Star In this problem R LSun 2 TSun Sun

1 R . Therefore Star 2 R Sun

= 1600 .

So,

R Star = 40 and the radius of the star is 40 times the radius of the Sun. R Sun

4. If a stars surface temperature is 30,000 K, how much power does a square meter of its surface radiate? This is a very simple question IF you understand the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, because the term T4 is just the power radiated per square meter, clearly stated on page 467. So the answer to this question is just This star radiates T4 = 5.67x10-8 W/m2K4 (30,000 K)4 = 4.6x1010 W/m2 or 46 billion watts per square meter from its surface. 5. Betelgeuse is roughly the same temperature as Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Earth aside the Sun. However, it is 109 times brighter. How much larger in radius is Betelgeuse than Proxima Centauri? This question is the most involved of th3ese practice problems because you are not given enough information in the question to find the answer directly. The Stefan-Boltzmann Law is a relationship between luminosity, temperature and radius. In this problem we are asked to determine the radii ratio of the stars given that the two stars have roughly the same temperature, but we are not given luminosity ratios. We are, however, given their brightness ratio.

The challenge now becomes how we can use the ratio of brightness to determine the ratio of luminosities. This can be done only if we know the distances to the two stars because brightness L is related to luminosity by distance as in B = . 4D 2 So this problem has three parts: (1) Look up the distances to the stars, (2) calculate the ratio of luminosities, and finally calculate the ratio of radii. Part 1: From Appendix Table 10 Proxima Centauri is 4.23 ly away and from Appendix Table 9 Betelgeuse is 500 ly away. Part 2: Using the definition of brightness derive an expression for the ratio of the two stars luminosities.
B= L 4D 2 LBetel 2 2 4D Betel LBetel 4DPr L ox = = = Betel 2 LPr ox LPr ox LPr ox 4D Betel 2 4DPr ox LBetel LPr ox 4.23 500
2

B Betel . BPr ox.

DPr ox D Betel

10 9 =

LBetel = 1.40 1013 LPr ox

Part 3: Use the ratio of luminosities with the temperature ratio to determine the ratio of radii using the Stefan-Boltzmann Law L = 4R 2 T 4 . See the first problem to review the derivation of the following ratio formula. Fill in the particular values for this problem and solve for the ratio of the radii
LStar RStar = LSun RSun 1.40 10
13

TStar T Sun
2

RStar = R Sun

4 (1)

RStar = 1.40 1013 = 3.74 106 RSun

Finally, Betelgeuse has a radius that is about 3.7 million times larger than the radius of Proxima Centauri.

6. A star is five times as luminous as the Sun and has a surface temperature of 98,000 K. What is its radius, compared to that of the Sun? Again, this is a Stefan-Boltzmann problem (luminosity, radius and temperature) that will be most easily solved using a ratio approach. See the first problem to review how to arrive that this equation
LStar RStar = LSun RSun TStar T Sun
2

This equation should not be memorized. Only the Stefan-Boltzmann Law needs memorizing. Use your algebra skills to derive the equation each time you need it. Filling in the known ratios yields
RStar 5= R Sun 98,000 K 5,800 K
2 4

We just have to solve for the ratio of radii.

RStar 5 = R Sun RStar 5 = R Sun RStar 5 = R Sun
2

98,000 K 5,800 K (16.9) 4 81,510

2 2

RStar 5 5 R = 81,510 = 6.13 10 Sun RStar = 6.13 10 5 = 0.0078 RSun

So the radius of the star is only 0.0078 the radius of the Sun. This is just slightly smaller than the Earth that is 1/109 = 0.0092 the radius of the Sun. This star that is slightly smaller than the Earth is not really a star, but a white dwarf stellar remnant; the dead exposed core of a blown up star, not producing anymore energy, but only cooling off.