assuming that a neutron star has the same density as a neutron, calculate the mass in kilograms of a small piece of a neutron star the size of a spherical pebble with a radius of 0.11mm
What's the density of a neutron?
density x volume = mass
volume = (4/3)*pi*r^3.
To calculate the mass of a small piece of a neutron star, we'll need to know the density of a neutron, as well as the formula for calculating the volume and mass of a sphere.
First, let's determine the density of a neutron. The density of a neutron, assuming it is similar to a free neutron, is approximately 10^17 kilograms per cubic meter.
Next, let's calculate the volume of the spherical pebble. The formula to calculate the volume of a sphere is V = (4/3) * π * r^3, where V represents volume and r represents the radius of the sphere.
Given that the radius of the pebble is 0.11mm (or 0.11 * 10^-3 meters), we can substitute this value into the formula for volume:
V = (4/3) * π * (0.11 * 10^-3)^3
Now, we can calculate the mass of the small piece of the neutron star. The formula for mass is M = density * volume.
M = density * V
= (10^17) * [(4/3) * π * (0.11 * 10^-3)^3]
By evaluating this calculation, we can determine the mass of the small piece of the neutron star in kilograms.