Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Giant stars live much longer than dwarf stars. State

Question

Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Giant stars live much longer than dwarf stars. Statement-II: Compared to dwarf stars, giant stars have a greater rate of nuclear reactions. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Giant Stars: Giant stars have masses from eight times to as much as 100 times that of the mass of our sun. These massive stars have hotter and denser cores than dwarf stars (stars that are smaller than five times the mass of our sun). Therefore, giant stars have a greater rate of the nuclear reactions that light up stars. Massive stars also use up the hydrogen fuel in their core faster, despite starting out with much more of it, meaning they live much shorter lives than dwarf stars. A giant star will also end its life in a spectacular fashion, via a supernova explosion, leaving behind a strange object such as a neutron star or an even more bizarre black hole. Statement I is not correct and Statement II is correct: Giant stars are short-lived due to the faster rates of nuclear reactions. Hence option (d) is the correct answer.