PHYSICS 165 MODULE 10 EXAM SCRIPT
2026 UPDATED QUESTIONS WITH
DETAILED ANSWERS GRADED A+
⩥ What defines a dwarf planet? Answer: A planet that has not cleared its
orbit of other objects.
⩥ What are planetary satellites? Answer: Bodies that orbit a planet.
⩥ How are asteroids characterized? Answer: Objects that are too small
and uneven in shape to be planets, with a near circular orbit around the
sun.
⩥ What are comets made of? Answer: Small, irregularly sized balls of
rock, dust, and ice that orbit the sun in eccentric elliptical orbits.
⩥ What constitutes a solar system? Answer: The system containing stars
and orbiting objects like planets.
⩥ What is a galaxy? Answer: A collection of stars, dust, and gas,
typically containing around 100 billion stars.
,⩥ What are nebulae? Answer: Gigantic clouds of dust and gas that are
the birthplace of all stars.
⩥ What is a protostar? Answer: A sphere of very hot, dense dust and gas
formed from gravitational collapse in a nebula.
⩥ What must occur for a star to form? Answer: The temperature and
pressure must be high enough for hydrogen gas nuclei to undergo
nuclear fusion.
⩥ What is the main phase of a star? Answer: The stable equilibrium
phase where gravitational forces compress the star, counteracted by
radiation and gas pressure.
⩥ What happens to low mass stars after the main phase? Answer: They
evolve into a red giant, then a white dwarf after shedding outer shells as
a planetary nebula.
⩥ What is the Chandrasekhar limit? Answer: The maximum mass
(1.44M☉) for a stable white dwarf star, beyond which it cannot support
itself against gravitational collapse.
⩥ What occurs in the evolution of a massive star? Answer: It forms a red
supergiant, undergoes a type 2 supernova, and can become a neutron star
or black hole depending on the remaining core mass.
, ⩥ What is produced in a supernova? Answer: Elements heavier than
iron.
⩥ What does the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram represent? Answer:
The stellar luminosity of a star against its temperature, helping to
classify stars.
⩥ What happens to electrons when they are excited? Answer: They
move from a lower energy state to a higher energy state, requiring
external energy input.
⩥ What is emission line spectra? Answer: A unique spectrum produced
by each element, appearing as a series of colored lines on a black
background.
⩥ What is continuous line spectra? Answer: A spectrum that contains all
visible wavelengths of light.
⩥ What happens when an electron is de-excited? Answer: It moves
towards the ground state and releases energy in the form of a photon.
⩥ What is the significance of negative energy levels for electrons?
Answer: Negative values represent the energy required to remove the
electron from the atom, with the ground state being the most negative.
2026 UPDATED QUESTIONS WITH
DETAILED ANSWERS GRADED A+
⩥ What defines a dwarf planet? Answer: A planet that has not cleared its
orbit of other objects.
⩥ What are planetary satellites? Answer: Bodies that orbit a planet.
⩥ How are asteroids characterized? Answer: Objects that are too small
and uneven in shape to be planets, with a near circular orbit around the
sun.
⩥ What are comets made of? Answer: Small, irregularly sized balls of
rock, dust, and ice that orbit the sun in eccentric elliptical orbits.
⩥ What constitutes a solar system? Answer: The system containing stars
and orbiting objects like planets.
⩥ What is a galaxy? Answer: A collection of stars, dust, and gas,
typically containing around 100 billion stars.
,⩥ What are nebulae? Answer: Gigantic clouds of dust and gas that are
the birthplace of all stars.
⩥ What is a protostar? Answer: A sphere of very hot, dense dust and gas
formed from gravitational collapse in a nebula.
⩥ What must occur for a star to form? Answer: The temperature and
pressure must be high enough for hydrogen gas nuclei to undergo
nuclear fusion.
⩥ What is the main phase of a star? Answer: The stable equilibrium
phase where gravitational forces compress the star, counteracted by
radiation and gas pressure.
⩥ What happens to low mass stars after the main phase? Answer: They
evolve into a red giant, then a white dwarf after shedding outer shells as
a planetary nebula.
⩥ What is the Chandrasekhar limit? Answer: The maximum mass
(1.44M☉) for a stable white dwarf star, beyond which it cannot support
itself against gravitational collapse.
⩥ What occurs in the evolution of a massive star? Answer: It forms a red
supergiant, undergoes a type 2 supernova, and can become a neutron star
or black hole depending on the remaining core mass.
, ⩥ What is produced in a supernova? Answer: Elements heavier than
iron.
⩥ What does the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram represent? Answer:
The stellar luminosity of a star against its temperature, helping to
classify stars.
⩥ What happens to electrons when they are excited? Answer: They
move from a lower energy state to a higher energy state, requiring
external energy input.
⩥ What is emission line spectra? Answer: A unique spectrum produced
by each element, appearing as a series of colored lines on a black
background.
⩥ What is continuous line spectra? Answer: A spectrum that contains all
visible wavelengths of light.
⩥ What happens when an electron is de-excited? Answer: It moves
towards the ground state and releases energy in the form of a photon.
⩥ What is the significance of negative energy levels for electrons?
Answer: Negative values represent the energy required to remove the
electron from the atom, with the ground state being the most negative.
