AST 221 Problem Set 3: Due Friday Sep.

27th
You are allowed/encouraged to work together with other students, but the write-up must be
INDEPENDENT. Assigned readings are posted online.

1. Earth’s Atmosphere On Earth, we are engulfed in a thin veneer of air which we call the
atmosphere. Here, we study some of its properties. The atmospheric pressure at ground level is 1
bar (or 106 dyne/cm2 ), and the average temperature is T = 300K.
1) The air is mostly made up of the three following molecules and atoms. By weight fractions (note:
this is not the same as number fraction), they are N2 , 74%; O2 , 25%; and Argon 1%, where N2 has
28 nucleons (neutrons and protons) in a nucleus, O2 has 32 and Argon has 40. What is the mean
molecular weight µ (average mass per particle, in unit of hydrogen mass) of our air?
2) Use the above value for ground pressure, as well as the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium,
to obtain the total mass in our atmosphere (hint: how much do you think Earth’s gravitational
acceleration, g(r) = GM/r2 , changes throughout the atmosphere?). If the mass of such an envelope
is all converted to water, how deep is the resulting swimming pool on Earth (assume a pool that
covers the entire Earth)?
3) The atmosphere is not collapsing under Earth’s gravity, thanks to its thermal pressure (more
accurately, the gradient of its thermal pressure). Use the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium, as
well as the equation for ideal gas pressure, to derive how the atmospheric pressure changes with the
height above ground. Here, assume that the atmosphere is isothermal, namely, temperature is the
same at all heights. Use your result to obtain the numerical value for the atmospheric scale height
(defined as the height level at which the air density drops by a factor of e). Evaluate it in unit of
kilometre. Given your results, explain why most commercial flights prefer an altitude of 30,000 ft
(or 10 km).
 =
113 Assuming that there's 100 mass units of air ,

74 % N2
->

=
25 % - 02

1 % >
-
As

:
N
= -
28 nucleors h

02 >
- 32 nucleons

Ar nucleons
30
=X
>
10

Molecular mass
for 100 mass units gair =
(0 74x (8)
.
+ 10 . 25 x 32) + 10 . 01 x 10)
:
26 18 m
.

From the density formula know

=
20 72 + 8 + 0 we
.
.
4 ,

= 29 12 .
m = VP

Mean molecular mass , p =mas

molecular Since Matr =

Mowimming pool
Vatreatm =
Vop Pop

at
=12: 9 71
.
mass unit

The mean molecular mass our air is a 71 mass units

.
of
.

2 .

2] E-Earth

-E

S-swimming pool
= A

↑ A-
Atmosphere

Hydrostatic equilibrium states that

,

= ge

We know
g : but g(h)
=M where h is height above the earth's suraare

Since
h will be much smaller than the radius ,
we can assume that
g is constant = 9 81
.
m/s 2 .
3) Acc .
to hydrostatic equilibrium,

Rearranging hydrostatic equilibrium equation for

It gives us
=
dP =
-gP dh

dh
= p-m from previous explanation o

to : -g
h:

10
h
=-
= dP d

Ideal
gas pressure gives us
-
PV = NRT

Assuming there I mote set amount of get h

== At certain
height pressure

(
is only or we
gas
a
,

PV = RT
drope to
t
emgh
Volume in teams ap
is
.
So we
get =
Commerical like
flights fly
to at

ech
=
wit
Here molecular altitude because
OM
j
: RT
magers to the mean mase
of air roughly 10km air

PM RT at the altitude 10km is

=
pressure of
P

Isolating
et/it :
P p- p low This amounts to low
for ,
we get o .

friction
p
= which increases ful eficiency.

Substituting ② in D we get,
2. Virial theorem for stars and galaxy clusters. Virial theorem states that, for a gravitationally
bound system at equilibrium, the total kinetic energy equals half (and opposite sign) of the
gravitational potential energy. This applies both when the kinetic energy is in the form of orbital
motion (a ball of stars), and when it is in the form of random thermal motion (a ball of gas).
1) The Sun is made up of many atoms that are moving at high speed to provide su!cient pressure
support against their self-gravity. Let the Sun’s central temperature be Tc . Use the Virial theorem
to estimate its value. Adopt the same sort of approximations we did in class, e.g., that all solar
particles have T = Tc (which is approximately correct since most of the solar mass resides near the
center), that the Sun’s gravitational potential energy is → ↑GM 2 /R, where M is its mass and R
its radius, and you can take the mean-molecular weight to be µ = 1/2 (fully-ionized hydrogen).
2) Before nuclear fusion was understood (1920s), the Sun has been assumed to be shining because
it is losing its internal heat continuously (like a piece of hot coal, the ’hot coal’ hypothesis). Let
us check this assumption by estimating how long the Sun can last in this mode (radiating at its
current luminosity L→ = 4 ↓ 1033 erg/ s) before its radius has to shrink by a factor of 2, and compare
this timescale against the geological timescales on Earth (billions of years). You may want to use
Virial theorem for this purpose, but write a short paragraph to justify it when the Sun is shrinking
slowly. What is your conclusion on the ’hot coal’ hypothesis?
3) The Perseus galaxy cluster is a behemoth on the sky. It contains a few thousand galaxies (total
mass → 1015 M→ ), spanning across a radius → 30Million light-years. How fast does a typical galaxy
has to move (express in unit of km/s), so as not to fall prey to the cluster gravity? If instead of a
galaxy, we consider a free electron in the inter-cluster space. What should its temperature be?
 Time taken
being luminous =

uminosity
VIRIAL THEOREM :
for Sun to stop

E
-0x0
= k + U

34 =

4
=
4 .
76x10- 3 = 1 .

508x1023yes

17 Acc to virial theorem time taken for to burn out is 26x10's which is rather quick. Comparing this
2 .
.
,
E =
K + U The the Sun
completely 4 .

time to himinosity long before

We know that kinetic
energy is ZKsT per particle Therefore.

,
virial theorem becomes. the
geological time scale , theoretically ,
the sun would have last its humans

H where N is the particles. The very still

E =

NEKBT +
,
no
of appeared on earth.
fact that the sun is
burning bright disproves the hot coal hypothesis.

We also know that the Sun's gravitational potential is

&M ·

Therefore ,
vicial theorem becomes Since we have disproved the hot wal
hypothers ,
the
only alternative explanation to Sun's
seemingly
M
E :

N3KBT- - ① endless supply of energy

must be nuclear
fission .

by
Now , My .
= 1 .
99x10** kg and No can be calculated 2 . 3] E = k + U

it
Since M
=, Since
energy is conserved,

N
= - k U
=

Mw2
=

GM-
Substituting
② in D ,
we
get

=MKT-G =
E =

Since E is conserved,

= = this is the is
for the entire
galaxy cluster

= galaxies Going galaxy

Let's assume x =
few thousand . back to eqD ,
the energy equation per will be

MY
Rearranging for T
,
we get

T
: B
=
67430x10" 99x1030x0 67x10-27 67 x10*" x 99x103* x 105
= 6 . x 1 .
.
5x 1 . v = 6 .
1 .

(30Mly =
2838x1020km)
3x6 .
96 x 108 x 1 .
380649x10-23 2 .
838x1020

°
:
3 .
85x10 K =
4 .
677X10'4 km/s

Therefore the sun's internal temperature Te = 3 85x100k so typical galaxy will have to have
velocity of 4 67 x10" Kuls to not fall to the cluster's
a a
prey
.
.

, ,

.
gravity

2 .

27 Lo = 4x1033 erg/s

E = K + U virial theorem
from

If E Therefore
the Sun's R decreased then the R would be the U o the
by a
factor of z
,
new .
,

sun would change to U =

We know thatN E = DK + AU and since E is conservid

,

DK = Al

Ak =

Up-Ui
:

GM G

DK =

GM
-

= 6 .
67x10" x 99x1030 1 .

6 96 X109
.

= 1 .
907X10" J = 1 .
907X10"x10" =
1 .
907x10'serg

=
Luminosity engle

Energy =
erg