Astronomy as a playful tool for teaching physics: equation of state and white dwarf stars

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/2179460X66837

Keywords:

Teaching of physics, Interdiciplinarity, Equation of state, White dwarfs, Chandrasekhar limit

Abstract

This interdisciplinary work proposes the use of astronomy as a ludic tool to teach Physics, hence, to arouse the curiosity of undergraduate and graduate students from the program of Exact Sciences and the Earth courses, providing enhance on the teaching-learning process in Statistical Mechanics classes. The main goal of the present study is to discuss white dwarf stars (WDS), which are the final stage of the evolution of a star like the Sun and up to 8 M⊙ , since those are an interesting object of study because of their compact nature, high density, and, also, because they are eliminated as a degenerated fermi gas. Having as motivation and interest in the improvement of the knowledge regarding these objects, we aim to obtain the relationship between the mass and the radius of the white dwarf stars, as well as to classify a sample of 5 white dwarfs required by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), according to the chemical element that is destined for the surface. At the end of this work, we conclude throughthe mass and radius ratio of white dwarf stars that the greater the mass of the star, the smaller its size, and that in equilibrium it must have a mass less than 1.44 M⊙. In addition, we show a experiment reports of this teaching innovative that used astronomy as ludic tool to teach Physics in the subject of statistical mechanics at undergraduate and master’s level.

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Author Biographies

Lara Maria Gatto, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS

Doutoranda em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), bolsista da CAPES. Mestre em física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (2020), foi bolsista da Capes, e colaboradora do Projeto de ensino, pesquisa, e extensão Astro ESUL, contribuindo no projeto de pesquisa intitulado de "A Estrutura Interna das Galáxias com Emissão de Megamaser de OH: A Origem do Modelo Unificado do Núcleo Ativo de Galáxia". Bacharel em Física com ênfase em Física Teórica e Experimental, pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG (2018). 

Dinalva A. Sales, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS

Graduada em matemática pela Universidade do Vale do Paraíba (2005), mestre em Física e Astronomia pela Universidade do Vale do Paraíba (2007) e doutora em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2012). Foi NASA Postdoctoral Fellow no Rochester Institute of Technology em 2012/2013. Foi pós-doutoranda da FAPERGS/CAPES na linha de fomento à bolsas Especiais Institucionais: DOCFIX, desenvolvendo o projeto na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul em 2013/2016. Atualmente é professora adjunta do Instituto de Matemática, Estatística e Física (IMEF) da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (IMEF-FURG), compõe o corpo docente do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física do IMEF-FURG. No ano de 2017 e 2018 foi Coordenadora Adjunta do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física (PPG-Física) do IMEF-FURG. Entre 2019 e fev/2021 foi coordenadora do PPG-Física IMEF-FURG. Atualmente é Coordenadora de Bolsas Institucionais na Pró-reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação da FURG.

References

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Published

2022-11-23

How to Cite

Maria Gatto, L. M., & A. Sales, D. A. de. (2022). Astronomy as a playful tool for teaching physics: equation of state and white dwarf stars. Ciência E Natura, 44, e49. https://doi.org/10.5902/2179460X66837

Issue

Vol. 44 (2022): Continuous Publication

Section

Teaching

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