AQA · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016
Students should be able to describe the life cycle of a star: the size of…
Full specification wording
The life cycle of a star: Students should be able to describe the life cycle of a star: the size of the Sun much more massive than the Sun.
This is a classic comparison, so set it out as a shared opening and then matched pairs.
Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 5
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
This is a classic comparison, so set it out as a shared opening and then matched pairs. Shared: both stars form in a nebula of dust and gas pulled together by gravity, both pass through a protostar stage, both begin fusing hydrogen into helium, and both spend most of their lives as a stable main sequence star. Then take the differences in matched pairs. A star like the Sun becomes a red giant, while a much more massive star becomes a red supergiant. The Sun-like star then contracts into a white dwarf, while the massive star explodes as a supernova. The white dwarf cools into a black dwarf, while the supernova leaves a neutron star or black hole.
What earns the marks
- Stating that both stars form from a nebula pulled together by gravity.
- Describing both passing through a protostar stage and beginning fusion.
- Identifying the main sequence as the stable stage where the inward and outward effects are balanced.
- Comparing the red giant stage with the red supergiant stage.
- Comparing the contraction into a white dwarf with the explosion of a supernova.
- Comparing the final stages: black dwarf versus neutron star or black hole.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Describing one star's whole life and then the other's, without ever comparing them.
Put it right by using linking words like whereas to form matched pairs.
Giving a black hole as the end point of every massive star, when a neutron star is the other possibility.
Put it right by stating both possible outcomes.
Putting the supernova before the red supergiant stage.
Put it right by memorising the sequence of expansion then explosion.
Leaving out the shared beginning, which is essential in a compare question.
Put it right by starting with the nebula and protostar stages.
Exam tips
- In a compare question use linking words such as whereas, so that every comparison is explicit.
- Cover similarities as well as differences to provide a complete comparison.
- Write the two routes in the same order so that the matched pairs line up on the page.
Try the lesson
The start of the The life cycle of a star: Students should be able to describe the life cycle of a star: the size of the Sun much more massive than the Sun. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which sequence shows the stages in the life cycle of a star the size of the Sun?
Listen
This is a classic comparison, so set it out as a shared opening and then matched pairs. Shared: both stars form in a nebula of dust and gas pulled together by gravity, both pass through a protostar stage, both begin fusing hydrogen into helium, and both spend most of their lives as a stable main sequence star. Then take the differences in matched pairs. A star like the Sun becomes a red giant, while a much more massive star becomes a red supergiant. The Sun-like star then contracts into a white dwarf, while the massive star explodes as a supernova. The white dwarf cools into a black dwarf, while the supernova leaves a neutron star or black hole. A strong answer earns marks for these points. stating that both stars form from a nebula pulled together by gravity. describing both passing through a protostar stage and beginning fusion. identifying the main sequence as the stable stage where the inward and outward effects are balanced. comparing the red giant stage with the red supergiant stage. A common slip: describing one star's whole life and then the other's, without ever comparing them. Instead, using linking words like whereas to form matched pairs. Exam tip: In a compare question use linking words such as whereas, so that every comparison is explicit.
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
red giant and red supergiant
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
white dwarf and black dwarf
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
supernova
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
neutron star or black hole
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- red giant and red supergiant
- A star like the Sun becomes a red giant, while a much more massive star becomes a red supergiant.
- white dwarf and black dwarf
- The Sun-like star contracts into a white dwarf, which then cools into a black dwarf.
- supernova
- The massive star explodes as a supernova after the red supergiant stage.
- neutron star or black hole
- The supernova leaves behind a neutron star or a black hole as the final stage.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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