Science Buddies Project How Old is the Universe?
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Science Buddies Project How Old is the Universe?
I am using the SB How old is the Universe activity. Every HR diagram that I make, with a good turn off point, has a color (x) and Luminosity (y) value that are not found in the same star classification. What am I doing wrong?ex: Turn off point (0.561766, 15.484565)
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cumulonimbus
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Re: Science Buddies Project How Old is the Universe?
Hi,
Sorry for the late response! First of all, you should double-check to make sure you've followed all the steps in the procedure exactly (although probably you've already done so). For example, make sure you are calculating the color of the star as g-r and not r-g or some other mixup of variables. Make sure you have assigned the "g" column to luminosity as well. Second of all, you could try adjusting the scale of your picture; perhaps you have zoomed out too far and are mistakenly including some stars that are not in the globular cluster. It is also important to remember that globular clusters are simply an approximate means of discovering the age of the universe, so the procedure does contain some error. Try some different globular clusters as well, or even look at the "Make It Your Own" page for a link to even more globular clusters. If you are still finding discrepancies, record both possible ages in your results (i.e. for your current turnoff point, 0.561766 would correspond to a G-type star with lifespan 9.3-15.6 billion years whereas 15.484565 would correspond to an A-type star with lifespan 2.3-5.1 billion years) and note the discrepancies in the error section of your conclusion. Good luck and I hope this is helpful!
Elena
Sorry for the late response! First of all, you should double-check to make sure you've followed all the steps in the procedure exactly (although probably you've already done so). For example, make sure you are calculating the color of the star as g-r and not r-g or some other mixup of variables. Make sure you have assigned the "g" column to luminosity as well. Second of all, you could try adjusting the scale of your picture; perhaps you have zoomed out too far and are mistakenly including some stars that are not in the globular cluster. It is also important to remember that globular clusters are simply an approximate means of discovering the age of the universe, so the procedure does contain some error. Try some different globular clusters as well, or even look at the "Make It Your Own" page for a link to even more globular clusters. If you are still finding discrepancies, record both possible ages in your results (i.e. for your current turnoff point, 0.561766 would correspond to a G-type star with lifespan 9.3-15.6 billion years whereas 15.484565 would correspond to an A-type star with lifespan 2.3-5.1 billion years) and note the discrepancies in the error section of your conclusion. Good luck and I hope this is helpful!
Elena