When a massive star exhausts its fuel and collapses, neutron stars form. Pulsars are the most common type of neutron star. Pulsars are rotating neutron stars that emit radiation pulses at very regular intervals, typically once per rotation. Astrophysicists measure rotation rates by detecting electromagnetic waves emitted by the magnetic field's poles. Consider a pulsar, formed after the gravitational collapse of a massive star and emitting electromagnetic waves once every half second. The pulsar is formed from a massive star that has a mass of M = 1.8 × 1027 kg, a diameter of d, and a period of revolution of 640 hours. The radius of the pulsar is 2.1 × 104 m. Calculate the diameter of the original massive star. Consider the star and pulsar to be rigid spherical objects having the same mass.
When a massive star exhausts its fuel and collapses, neutron stars form. Pulsars are the most common type of neutron star. Pulsars are rotating neutron stars that emit radiation pulses at very regular intervals, typically once per rotation. Astrophysicists measure rotation rates by detecting electromagnetic waves emitted by the magnetic field's poles. Consider a pulsar, formed after the gravitational collapse of a massive star and emitting electromagnetic waves once every half second. The pulsar is formed from a massive star that has a mass of M = 1.8 × 1027 kg, a diameter of d, and a period of revolution of 640 hours. The radius of the pulsar is 2.1 × 104 m. Calculate the diameter of the original massive star. Consider the star and pulsar to be rigid spherical objects having the same mass.