Final Project

1. Deneb
Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus.

8,525 K is the surface temperature of Deneb compared to 5,778 K which is the suns surface
temperature.

Currently the distance thought to be away from earth is 2,600 light years away.

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Deneb appears to have a diameter of 100-200 times that of the Sun, If it was placed where the
sun is it would extend into the earths atmosphere.

Vega
Vega is 25.5 light years away from Earth.
Surface temperature is 9,602 K compared to the suns 5,778 k.
Vega is the brightest star in the Lyra Constellation.
Vega is a tenth of the age of the sun but is 2.1 times more massive than the sun.
Sadr
Sadr surface temperature is 5,790 K compared to the suns 5,778 k
Has a solar mass of 12.11
Sadr is a White Supergiant star in the constellation Cygnus.
Sadr is 1,782 light years away from earth.

Gienah
Gienah is a blue supergiant star in the constellation Cygnus.
Gienah is 154 light years away and the 101 brightest star seen by earth.
Gienah is going through the Galaxy at a speed of 36 km/s relative to the Sun.
Gienah is in a multiple star system.
st

Equation 1: E = mc2
Answer or do the following:
Question 1: Find out what the things in this equation (using your book or a net search
will do it) are and identify them as either variables or constants.
E= energy is a variable m=mass and is a variable C= speed of light in a vacuum
and is a constant.
Question 2: What is the size of c2?
8.98755179 1016 m2 / s2
or the speed of light squared.
Question 3: Are mass and energy related? Answer yes or no and then provide a brief
explanation of your answer based on the analysis of the equation.
Yes mass and energy are related to get energy you need to multiply mass times
the constant of the speed of light. So depending on where the mass is determines
the energy.
Question 4: Analyze the statement: if it is possible to change mass into energy a little
bit of mass could produce a lot of energy. Is it true or not? Provide a brief explanation
based on your analysis of the equation

A little bit of mass according to the equation would create a little bit of energy
because energy equals mass times the constant, so the amount of energy
completely pertains to how much mass is originated.
Equation 2: d = gt2/2
where:
d = distance an object falls when released from rest (no air resistance)
g = acceleration of gravity at the Earths surface
t = time the object has been falling
Question 5. Which of the following statements do you agree with and why? Use the
equation to support your answer (you can also refer to the learning from equations
module files).
a) heavy objects fall faster than lighter objects
b) objects fall at the same speed (if no air resistance) and weight doesnt matter.
I believe B is the right answer, in that equation mass was not part of the variables
it is only related to earth's gravitational force, how much time the item has been
falling and the distance the object falls. So all object would fall at the same rate.
Equation 3: v = gt
where:
v = velocity of a falling object if released from rest (no air resistance)
g = acceleration of gravity at Earths surface
t = time the object has been falling
Question 6: Which of the following statements do you agree with and why? Use the
equation to support your answer (you can also refer to the learning from equations
module files).
c) heavy objects fall faster than lighter objects
d) objects fall at the same speed (if no air resistance) and weight doesnt matter.
Again I would choose objects fall at the same speed, within this equation as well
mass is not a variable within the equation. The equation would only be related to
the velocity, acceleration, and time. So how fast an object falls has nothing to do
with mass.
Now go online and view this link. If the link is inoperable go to google video and do a
search on Galileo hammer feather experiment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mTsrRZEMwA

Question 7: For most of recorded history, people thought that heavy objects naturally
and under all conditions fall faster than lighter objects. Why did it take us so long to
realize the true state of affairs? I think common sense was a major distraction for
humans. Common sense tells us if something is falling and it is heavier that it will
fall at a faster rate.
Question 8: The Earths gravity DOES exert a greater force on heavier objects than
lighter ones (these forces are called weight). However, with no air resistance objects fall
at the same speed in a given gravity field. The weight difference can be thousands of
pounds to one and the objects still fall at the same speed. What physical property of
mass compensates for the difference in applied forces?
Inertia or an object's resistance to the change in motion.
Equation 4: e = 1 Tcold/Thot
where:
e = efficiency of energy use
Tcold = the temperature of the environment surrounding the heat engine
Thot = the internal operating temperature of the engine
This is the equation for the efficiency of a heat engine (your car is a heat engine unless
you have an electric model). An e = 1 is 100% efficiency, meaning 100% of the energy
gets used to do what you want to do with no wasted, unrecoverable energy. An e = 0
is an efficiency of zero with none of the energy going to what you want to do and all of
the energy being wasted or in unrecoverable forms.
The temperatures in this equation are in the Kelvin scale where the lowest temperature
is 0 degrees. There are no negative temperatures in the Kelvin scale. A temperature we
might encounter on Earth would be about 300 degrees Kelvin.
Question 9: Is it possible to achieve 100% efficiency, in theory, by lowering the
temperature of the environment surrounding the heat engine (T cold)? Why or why not?
Yes in theory if you could bring the temperature to zero kelvin, then zero divided by
anything would be zero resulting in 100 percent efficiency.
Question 10: Is it possible, in practice, to achieve 100% efficiency by lowering the
temperature of the environment surrounding the heat engine (T cold)? Why or why not?
NO a temperature of zero kelvin is not possible on Earth.
Question 11: Is it possible to achieve 100% efficiency, in theory, by raising the internal
operating temperature of the heat engine (Thot)? Why or why not?
NO it would not be possible you could raise the efficiency but no matter what there
would be a small portion left. 1(or t cold replace with any number)/any number would
never equal zero.

Question 12: Is it possible to achieve 100% efficiency, in practice, by raising the

internal operating temperature of the heat engine (T hot)? Why or why not? No you can
not get 100 percent by raising the temperature, if you drop it to zero it is possible.
Question 13: If your car is not electric, it is a heat engine and is subject to the efficiency
equation. Is it possible to build a car, using any kind of burning fuel, that is 100%
efficient? Explain.
No when burning energy or any kind of fuel energy is subject to lose energy to heat
caused by the burning of that fuel. Thats why if you touch your engine after driving it,
the engine will be hotter than the temperature it started with.

Part 3: Learning about a Law of Physics

Pick any Law or Principle of Physics in your textbook and:
The Law of Inertia
1. Give me an explanation of what it is and what it means- what this law means is when
something is moving another object or force has to interfere to cause it to change its
motion(slow down, stop, or go faster). This also has to do with objects at rest or not
moving want to stay at rest unless another force acts upon it.
2. Give me 3 examples in the real world involving the law or principle.
When a car is stopped it will stay stopped unless another car hits it or it uses another energy by
pressing the pedal.
When bowling the pins stay in place unless you hit them with a bowling ball.
When moving your furniture will stay where they are unless you or someone else moves it.

Part 4: Explanation of Fermis Paradox and possible resolution

This involves the possible existence of alien life in the Universe. A net search should
bring up some immediate information on the subject.
1. Clearly explain what this paradox involves and why it is a paradox.
The paradox says that if the universe is so vast and old then we should have seen
evidence of advanced beings. I believe its a paradox because any solution we can find
would contradict what thoughts we have. So we would think that earth is a special
planet that can harbor life and is very rare rather than a normal planet. Or that intelligent
life is a rare occurance.
2. List and briefly explain (like in a paragraph for each) 4 possible resolutions to the
paradox.

We are the first in the galaxy so they do not exist. This is because a habitable planet is rare and hard
to come by. It is also because life is rare due to that same fact. This would make it impossible for
those other galaxies to contact us because they do not exist.
They exist but dont have enough time to reach us. This could be caused because how far they are
away from us and a light year still takes time to reach us. There are aliens out there that destroy
planets if they hear beacons so aliens are afraid to communicate. Or aliens have no desire to
communicate with us.
They are silent observers, they could be keeping us in a cage and that cage is earth. Or there is a UN
of alien races stating that they need to let younger species develop at their own pace so they
cannot contact us.
Theyve already been to earth and were just overlooking the evidence that they were here. They
could have helped build the pyramids or stonehenge. This one I think is the least likely but its
possible that they have already been to earth but the things they have left behind dont point
directly to aliens doing them.