Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2025/iii/paper-317/1/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 317 1 Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For a homologous star, hydrostatic equilibrium, mass conservation, and the ideal gas equation give the central scalingswhere is the mean molecular weight. Integrating the nuclear energy-generation law over a fixed homologous profile givesRadiative stellar structure gives independentlyEquating the two luminosities yieldsAt fixed zero-age composition, the stars are therefore homologous with
The effective temperature satisfies , so . The zero-age main sequence consequently hasIt is a steep line rising toward high luminosity and high temperature on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
For fully ionized hydrogen and helium with ,while . At fixed mass,and the corresponding radius relation is
At the pure-hydrogen zero-age point ,whereasHenceandAs hydrogen is consumed, falls, so both and rise. In the usual diagram with temperature increasing leftward, the evolutionary track initially moves upward and leftward from the zero-age main sequence.
New to topics? Read the docs here!