Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Baccalaureate

White Dwarf Stellar Explosions

Novae: Recurrent Stellar Flares

The hydrogen build-up on the surface of a white dwarf can ignite into an explosive fusion reaction that blows off a shell of gas. Because so little mass is blown off during a nova, the explosion does not disrupt the binary system. Ignition of the infalling hydrogen can recur again with periods ranging from months to thousands of years.

White Dwarf Supernovae (Type Ia)

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar predicted that gravity will overcome the pressure of electron degeneracy if a white dwarf has a mass > 1.4 M_¤. Energetic electrons, which cause this pressure, reach the speed of light. If accretion brings the mass of a white dwarf above the Chandrasekhar limit, electron degeneracy can no... Continue reading "Stellar Endpoints: Supernovae, Neutron Stars, and Black Holes" »

The Proton-Proton Chain: Powering Low-Mass Stars

The proton-proton chain is the series of nuclear reactions by which low-mass stars, including our Sun, fuse hydrogen into helium. This process is crucial for stellar energy generation.

Gravitational equilibrium and energy balance work together as a natural thermostat, maintaining the Sun’s core temperature and fusion rate at a steady level.

Unraveling the Sun's Energy Source

Early scientific theories proposed that the Sun's energy came from chemical reactions or gravitational collapse. However, these theories were disproven:

• Chemical burning: Ruled out because it cannot account for the Sun’s immense luminosity.
• Gravitational collapse: The conversion of gravitational potential energy into heat as

Measuring Exoplanet Properties

The characteristics of extrasolar planets (exoplanets) are determined using various sophisticated techniques:

• Period and Distance: Measured by Doppler, astrometric, or transit methods.
• Eccentricity: Measured by Doppler or astrometric methods.
• Mass: Measured by Doppler or astrometric methods.
• Size: Measured primarily via the transit method.
• Density: Calculated using size (transit) plus mass (Doppler/astrometric) data.
• Atmospheric Composition and Temperature: Determined by transit or direct detection.

Limitations of Doppler Measurements

We cannot measure an exact mass for a planet without knowing the tilt of its orbit, because the Doppler shift tells us only the velocity toward or away from us. Therefore, Doppler data typically... Continue reading "Exoplanet Detection Methods and the Nebular Theory Challenge" »

Extrasolar Planets

An extrasolar planet is a planet orbiting a star other than our Sun. There are two general ways of learning about a distant object: directly, which means by obtaining images or spectra of the object, and indirectly, which means by inferring the object’s existence or properties without actually seeing it. There are two major indirect approaches to finding and studying extrasolar planets:

1. Observing the motion of a star to detect the subtle gravitational tugs
2. Observing changes to a star’s brightness that occur when one of its planets passes in front of the star as viewed from Earth.

Planets exert gravitational tugs on their star, causing the star to orbit around the system center of mass. Gravitational tugs: we can detect a... Continue reading "Discovering Extrasolar Planets: Methods and Significance" »

Irregular Verb Conjugation Reference

Here's a table of common irregular verbs in English, showing their base form, past simple, and past participle:

Postmodern Critique of Anthropological Epistemology

The postmodernist critique argues that the anthropologist’s epistemology and view of society is often shown to be Western provincialism—a Western ethnocentric approach applied to the rest of the world. Ethnographies, at best, distort reality and carry significant political implications.

The Crisis of Anthropological Objectivity

Critiques of postmodernism arise when anthropology, which assumed it was an objective scientific truth, is revealed instead to be a product of power.

What is Left of Anthropology?

If all writing is nothing more than interpretations of interpretations, then ethnography risks being viewed as fiction. The conclusion drawn by some is that Anthropology is merely a representational

90 Miles to Florida

Lime Wheel

Angry Sailor

Lime Wheel
2 Straws

Berry Mojito

2 blackberries skewered on prism pick
mint sprig in between two blackberries
straw

The Clover

Orange Twist (twist over drink and drop in)

Coconut Mint Lemonade

Mint Sprig
2 Sipper Straws

The Dirty

3 blue cheese olives on a prism pick all facing the same direction

The Diva

Pineapple wedge

Dos Sauza Marg

2 Lime wedges
straw

Effen Good

Cucumber slice
Mint sprig
(sprig stem thru slit of cucumber)

Grand Lemon Drop

Sugar rim
Lemon Twist (twist over drink and drop)

Havana Classic Mojito

2 lime wedges
mint sprig in between lime wedges
staw

Honeydew

Pineapple wedge

Louie's cosmo

Lemon twist (twist over drink and drop)

Louie's Sangria by the Glass

Orange Wedge (rim)
Cherry (floating)

Louie's Sangria by the Pitcher

3... Continue reading "Delicious Cocktail Recipes with Unique Garnishes" »

The Geography of Rome and Italy

Rome was born in the heart of the agricultural plain of Latium, by the Tiber River and on the hillsides of the seven hills comprising its strategic location.

Geographical Features

• The Mountains

  The Italian Peninsula occupies the center of the Mediterranean. We know it as "the Boot." It is crossed by the Apennines, a mountain range which runs centrally between its two coasts. To the north, Italy is blocked by the Alps. When the Romans went through them, the course of history and the Mediterranean changed.

• The Seas and Islands

  Three seas bathe Italy: the Adriatic, the Tyrrhenian, and the Ionian. Notable islands include Sicily, Sardinia, and smaller islands like Elba and Capri.

• The Rivers

  • a) In the north: the Po
  • b) The Arno,

Pseudo Classes

Pseudo classes are selectors that can be used to style elements based on their state or position in the document. For example, the :hover pseudo class can be used to style an element when the user hovers over it with the mouse.

:nth-of-type(an+b || even || a || an)

The :nth-of-type pseudo class is used to select elements based on their position in a group of siblings. It takes an argument that specifies which elements to select. The argument can be one of the following:

• an+b: Selects every nth element, starting with the bth element. For example, 2n would select every other element, and 2n+1 would select every odd element.
• even: Selects every even-numbered element.
• odd: Selects every odd-numbered element.
• a: Selects every element.

For... Continue reading "Web Development Fundamentals" »