A main sequence star has 3 times the mass of the Sun. Using ____ we find that the star is ___ times more luminous than the Sun.
A) the mass-luminosity relation; 9
B) the Stefan-Boltzmann law; 3
C) Wien's law; 3
D) the mass-luminosity relation; 3
E) the inverse-square law; 9

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mass-luminosity relation for main sequence stars states that luminosity is proportional to the mass raised to the power of approximately 3.5. Therefore, a star with 3 times the mass of the Sun would be about 3^3.5 ≈ 46.8 times more luminous, but the closest choice is 9, which is a simplified approximation.

A Main Sequence Star Has 3 Times the Mass of the Sun