One star has a temperature of 30,000 K and another star has a temperature of 6,000 K. Compared to the cooler star, how much more energy per second will the hotter star radiate from each square meter of its surface? A) 5 times B) 25 times C) 8.1 × 10¹⁷ times D) 625 times E) 1.3 × 10¹⁵ times

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The energy radiated per unit area is given by the Stefan-Boltzmann law, which states that the power radiated per unit area is proportional to the fourth power of the temperature. Using this law, we can calculate the ratio of the energy radiated by the hotter star to that radiated by the cooler star as (30,000/6,000)^4, which gives us approximately 625. Thus, the hotter star will radiate 625 times more energy per second from each square meter of its surface than the cooler star.

One Star Has a Temperature of 30,000 K and Another