A Star Shows Weak Hydrogen Balmer Lines but Strong Lines

question 119

Multiple Choice

A star shows weak hydrogen Balmer lines but strong lines of neutral sodium. What is a likely explanation for this?

• A) This particular star contains no hydrogen.
• B) The hydrogen has been ionized.
• C) The hydrogen is not receiving enough energy to populate the n = 2 level required for Balmer transitions.
• D) The sodium lines are masking the hydrogen lines because these occur at the same wavelengths.

---

Definitions:

Test Statistic

A calculated value from sample data used to decide whether to reject the null hypothesis in hypothesis testing.

Degrees of Freedom

The quantity of distinct values or numbers that can be allocated to a statistical distribution.

Test Statistic

A calculated value from sample data used in hypothesis testing to determine whether to reject the null hypothesis.

Null Hypothesis

A statement that asserts no effect or no difference in the context of a statistical test, serving as the default assumption to be tested.