Which of the Following Best Describes What Would Happen If

question 88

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes what would happen if a 1.5 solar mass neutron star, with a diameter of a few kilometers, were suddenly to appear in your hometown?

• A) The entire mass of the Earth would end up as a thin layer, about 1 cm thick, over the surface of the neutron star.
• B) It would rapidly sink to the center of the Earth.
• C) The combined mass of the Earth and the neutron star would cause the neutron star to collapse into a black hole.
• D) It would crash through the Earth, creating a large crater, and exit the Earth on the other side.
• E) It would crash into the Earth, throwing vast amounts of dust into the atmosphere which in turn would cool the Earth. Such a scenario is probably what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

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Definitions:

Hyperpolarization

An increase in a cell's membrane potential, making the cell more negative and less likely to fire an action potential.

Voltage Fluctuations

Variations in the electrical potential difference that can affect the performance of electronic circuits and power systems.

Cell Membrane

The cell membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment, controlling the movement of substances in and out of cells.

Axon

The long, slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body to other neurons or muscles.