A star loses one billion kilograms of material per second as it fuses hydrogen to helium.Approximately how much energy does the star produce each second?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The energy produced by the star can be estimated using the mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc^2, where m is the mass lost per second (1 billion kilograms or 1 × 10^9 kg), and c is the speed of light (approximately 3 × 10^8 meters per second). Plugging these values into the formula gives an energy production of approximately 9 × 10^16 joules per second.

A Star Loses One Billion Kilograms of Material Per Second