Physical Science Module 1 1
Physical Science Module 1 1
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Physical
Science Quarter 3 –
Module 1:
Star Formation & Evolution
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning at home. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage
and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises. 2. Don’t forget
to answer Let Us Try before moving on to the other activities. 3. Read the
instructions carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are done.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not
alone. We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
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Let Us Learn
This module was designed for you, the learners. It is to facilitate you to learn
the appropriate knowledge and skills as you go through a series of worthwhile
activities. The lessons are arranged sequentially in this course to ease
understanding and mastery. The parameter of this module allows you to appreciate
the formation of heavier elements in the universe through star formation and
evolution and the pieces of evidence.
• Give evidence for and describe the formation of heavier elements during
star formation and evolution (MELC).
1. identify the heavier elements formed in the star evolution and their
atomic masses
2. explain the formation of heavier elements in the stages of star
evolution; and,
3. cite evidence about the formation of heavier elements during star
formation and evolution.
Let Us Try!
Choose the best answer and write your answers on a separate paper. 1.
2. Which of the following is the correct sequence of the evolution of the star?
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3. What happens to the core temperature of a star as it ages/ evolves?
A. Decreases
B. Increases
C. Remains constant
D. Increases then decreases
4. In the main sequence star, what element is formed when hydrogen fuse in the
star’s core?
A. Beryllium C. Helium
B. Carbon D. Oxygen
5. How is the heavy element Carbon formed in a star’s core? It is formed via:
Let Us Study
Have you observed the bright stars in a clear night sky? Have you witnessed
the spectacular sunrise at dawn? I think you have. The sun is also a star in the
universe. Both the stars and sun in the universe take part of our everyday lives. We
could even say that we are the universe’s way of experiencing itself.
Meanwhile, looking beyond what we see in our own two eyes spark more the
inquisitive mind.
What are stars made of? How are they formed? Would they stay up in the sky
infinitely throughout their lifetime? These are just some of the queries that will be
unraveled in detail in this module.
Read the comic strips below and answer the questions that follow:
That sounds
cool! I want to
know more of
that…
Questions:
What is a Star?
A star is a ball of gas strongly held together by its own gravitational force. The
Sun, our very own star, is the closest star to Earth and has been used by
astronomers as a model in studying stars in detail.
A star’s life starts as clouds of dust and gas. Gravity pulls these clouds
together. Various nuclear fusion reactions take place and drive the formation and
development of stars. Stars with different masses grow and “evolve” (or change)
throughout the different stages of their lives.
Stars, in general, begin life in the same way however they develop in different
ways depending on their size.
The sun, our star, is formed around 4.5 billion years ago. It is driven by
nuclear fusion, initially involving hydrogen and producing helium along with a high
amount of energy. This is the source of the energy of a star like our sun.
The formation of stars involves several stages and each stage could take
around million years.
The process of star formation The figure on the process of star formation shows the
six (6) steps (A to F) of star formation for Sun-like stars. The process begins on (A),
where clouds of gas and dust in the space between stars (ISM) collapse into a dense
sphere of gas called a prestellar core (B) that eventually will become the sun.
During the collapse, a disk (C) forms around the core, while two jets are
emitted at the poles. At some point the star stops growing, but gas still fall onto the
disk (D). After a few million years this process also halts. The star is now born (E),
while the planets are being formed from the left-over material, which will eventually
become a solar system (F). A solar system typically lives 10 billion years after the
formation process.
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Stars spend the majority of their life fusing hydrogen into helium through a
process called nuclear fusion. When the hydrogen is nearly used up, the star can
fuse helium into heavier elements. Elements heavier than beryllium are formed
inside the stars known as stellar nucleosynthesis.
The star formation theory suggests that stars are formed from the collapse
of the dense sections of molecular cloud. As this cloud collapses, the fragments
shrink to form a stellar core known as protostar. The protostar shrinks due to
strong gravitational force while its temperature increases. When the core
temperature reaches about 10 million Kelvin, nuclear reactions start. As a result,
the contraction is stopped and gravitational equilibrium is attained. The protostar
has become a main sequence star.
Evolution of Stars
The figure below shows the life cycles of stars: Stars that are similar in size
to the Sun follow the lower path in the figure:
• Red giant star → white dwarf → black dwarf
Stars that are far greater in mass than the Sun follow the upper path in the figure:
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Note:
Symbol
Alpha (α) He 24
Beta (β) −1��0
Gamma (γ) 0��0
Table 1. Evolution of Stars
Stage Core Description Reaction
Temperature
Helium is converted to
carbon in the core while
hydrogen is converted to Element Formed:
helium in the shell Carbon (C)
surrounding the core.
Then, the rate of fusion
slows down. Gravity again
squeezes the star. Hence,
the star balloons into a
supergiant as it
accumulates mass and
temperature.
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Supergiant 7 x 108 K In this stage, carbon fusion 12
+ 2He 4 8O
occurs. The star undergoes 16
a series of reaction as more
6C
alpha particles are fused to
form heavier elements all 16
the way to iron in the core +2He 410Ne 20 8O
and in the shells around 20
the core. 10Ne + 2He 412Mg
24 24
The element oxygen is 12Mg + 2He 4Si
formed from carbon fusion;
neon from oxygen fusion; 14 28
magnesium from neon
28
fusion; silicon from + 2He 4 16S
magnesium fusion until iron 32
is formed. This process Si 14
makes the core and star
itself more massive. 32
+ 2He 4 Ar 18 36
16S
36
+ 2He 4 20Ca 40
Ar 18
40
20Ca + 2He 4 Ti 22
4
4
44
+ 2He 4 Cr 24
48
Ti 22
48
+ 2He 4 26Fe 52 Cr
24
Elements
Formed:
Oxygen (O)
Neon (Ne)
Magnesium (Mg)
Silicon (Si)
Sulfur (S)
Argon (Ar)
Calcium (Ca)
Titanium (Ti)
Chromium(Cr)
Iron (Fe)
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Supernova 1 x 1011 K Finally, in this stage the Elements with
core is eventually unable atomic
to further generate mass/weight
energy to resist gravity heavier than Iron
due to the formation of (Fe), except
heavier transuranium
elements. The gravity elements.
squeezes the core until
the star explodes and
releases high amount of
energy into space
enough to form
elements heavier than
iron such as thorium
and
uranium, except
transuranium elements
(Refer to Periodic Table
of Elements).
Subsequently, these
elements are absorbed in
the dust that condensed
to form new stars. Such
star explosion is known
as supernova.
Pieces of Evidence
1. Discovery of interstellar medium. This interstellar medium filled the
“empty space” between the stars. Molecular clouds of this medium are dense regions
where the concentrations of gas and dust are thousands of times greater than
elsewhere. It has become a reservoir from which matter like stars can be formed.
Hence, it provided a major piece of evidence which supported the star formation
theory.
2. Infrared Radiation (IR). This heat energy is emitted from different stages
of star formation and evolution. Most of the new stars cannot be seen in the visible
light because dense clouds of gas block their light. But using infrared spectrum, it
reveals the young stars behind the column of gas and dust. Through this, IR has
given us keys to unlock the mystery of the universe and to explain how stars are
born and to trace the origin of galaxies.
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Let Us Practice
Activity 1: Unlocking Heavier Elements
Supply the needed information in the table below. For the third column,
please refer to the Periodic Table of Elements on page 16 as you answer. The first
item is done for you.
3. supergiant star
______________________________________________________________________________
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2. How is the heavier element Carbon formed in the process?
______________________________________________________________________________
3. How are heavier elements like O, Ne, Mg, Fe and the like formed in supergiant
star?
_______________________________________________________________________________
4. What piece of evidence supports that young stars are formed from gas and
dust particles?
_______________________________________________________________________________
Were you able to accomplish it? I hope you find the task easy and challenging.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the Universe and the first
element on the periodic table. Almost 90% of the Universe is hydrogen. The
second most abundant element is helium.
Nearly 10% of the Universe is helium. All of the other elements exist in
much lower abundances, much less than 1%. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen,
magnesium, silicon, and iron are some of the common and more abundant
heavier elements in the Universe.
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SERIES OF FUSION REACTIONS
56
Step 10: ____(8)____ → ���� + ��+ (���������������� ��
����������) 26
56
Step 11: 26���� + 0��1 → ___(9)___
57
Step 12: 26���� + 0��1 → ___(10)___
58
Step 13: 26���� + 0��1 → 26���� 59
Let Us Remember
Through this module, you have learned the following important concepts about
star formation and evolution.
Let Us Assess
Read the questions carefully. Choose the best answer and write it on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. In the main sequence star, what element is formed when hydrogen fuse in the
star’s core?
A. Helium C. Carbon
B. Beryllium D. Oxygen
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6. How many Helium atom/s fuse/s together to produce Carbon? A.
1 C. 3
B. 2 D. 4
7. What piece of evidence of star formation provides a view of stars due to their
heat energies?
A. Abundance of light elements C. Redshift
B. Infrared radiation D. Interstellar medium of gas & dust
10. What stage of the evolution of the star produces the element Iron (Fe)?
11. What fuel is needed in a red giant star to begin its fusion reaction?
A. Hydrogen C. Carbon
B. Helium D. Iron
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Let Us Enhance
Activity 3: Life and Death
After learning the lesson of this module, it is time to apply what you have
learned into real life situation. This will be done for you to find connection and
meaning of the lesson to your personal life.
Please read the text below and write your reflection in a separate sheet of
paper.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Your response in the reflective essay will be rated based on the rubric. Please
be guided accordingly.
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Rubric in Assessing Reflective Essay
Criteria Poor Fair Good Excellent
1 pt 2 pts 3 pts 4 pts
Depth of Response Response Response Response
Reflection shows lack shows shows a shows an in-
of shallow general depth
reflection reflection reflection on reflection on
on the on the the selected the selected
selected selected topic, topic,
topic, with topic, including some including
no details. including a supporting supporting
few details details and details and
and examples. examples.
examples.
Let Us Reflect
Stars are the most widely recognized astronomical objects, and represent
the most fundamental building blocks of galaxies. The age, distribution, and
composition of the stars in a galaxy trace the history, dynamics, and evolution of
that galaxy. Moreover, stars are responsible for the manufacture and distribution
of heavy elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, and their
characteristics are intimately tied to the characteristics of the planetary systems
that may coalesce about them. Consequently, the study of the birth, life, and
death of stars is central to the field of astronomy.
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Answer Key
Let Us Try 1. A 8. C 14. B
5. D
Let Us Assess 7. B 13. D
4. C
6. C 12. C
3. A elements
10. C Let Us Assess 11. B
B 5. C 4. B 3. C 2. D 1.
2. C 15. B
B 9. Let Us Assess.
occurring -
naturally *only
Answers may vary
55.845 Iron (Fe)
51.996 Chromium
(Cr) 47.867
Titanium (Ti)
40.078 Calcium
(Ca) 39.948 Argon
(Ar)
32.06 Sulfur (S)
28.085 Silicon (Si)
24.305
Magnesium (Mg)
20.180 Neon (Ne)
elements)
(at least 3 4.
supernova
15.999 Oxygen (O) 3. supergiant star 12.011 Carbon (C) 2. red giant star 4.0026
Helium (He) 1. main sequence star Atomic mass/weight Element/s Formed Stages
atoms.
The element Carbon is formed from fusion of three
Helium
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References
Religioso, Estrella E. Mendoza & Teresita F. 2000. Chemistry. Quezon City: Phoenix
Publishing House, Inc.
Ross, Rachel. 2018. google.com. December 5. Accessed June 6, 2020.
https://www.livescience.com/64241-x-ray-spectroscopy.html.
Christensen M (2019) How Do Stars Form?. Front. Young Minds. 7:92. doi:
10.3389/frym.2019.00092
BBC GCSE (2021) Accessed at
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpxv97h/revision/1.
Telefax: 224-3274