Horizontal-Branch Stars Have a Wide Range of Temperatures and Luminosities

question 7

Multiple Choice

Horizontal-branch stars have a wide range of temperatures and luminosities between 50 and 100 times that of the Sun,so they are in what stage of their lives?

• A) gravitational contraction before the start of core hydrogen burning
• B) hydrogen-shell burning, with a degenerate helium core
• C) core helium burning
• D) core hydrogen burning

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Definitions:

Marginal Utility

The additional satisfaction or usefulness obtained from acquiring or consuming one more unit of a good or service.

Risk Averse

A characteristic of individuals who prefer to avoid risk, choosing certainty over uncertainty even if it results in a potentially lower return.

Marginal Utility Function

A mathematical representation that describes how the utility or satisfaction derived from consuming an additional unit of a good changes as more of the good is consumed.

Utility Function

A utility function is a mathematical representation of a consumer's preference ranking for different bundles of goods, showing the level of satisfaction for each.