I'm trying to understand the "mass-radius relation". "the more massive a white dwarf star, the smaller it is". Can you explain this please?
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It is caused by gravity.
The more mass (weight) the more gravity.
The more gravity the more the surface of the star is pulled "down" making it more compressed so smaller.
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The more mass (weight) the more gravity.
The more gravity the more the surface of the star is pulled "down" making it more compressed so smaller.
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White dwarfs are not like normal matter, they are support by degeneracy pressure. The more mass the WD has the closer the electrons are pushed together until at 1.4 solar masses it cannot support itself any more and collapses.
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Radius can be measured with a ruler. Mass can be measured with a scale. Imagine a ball 1 cm in diameter made of cork, and a ball the same size made of lead.
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The size of a white dwarf is determined by gravity .. and gravity is caused by mass ..
So, the more mass, the higher the gravity and thus the more 'squashed together' (= smaller) it is ..
So, the more mass, the higher the gravity and thus the more 'squashed together' (= smaller) it is ..
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Mass refers to density...not size. The smaller a white dwarf is, the more compact it is therefore it is more massive as compared to a larger white dwarf
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'massive' in this context mean the mass. it has a greater amount of matter.