AQA GCSE Physics (8463), Higher tier · Space physics › Solar system, orbits and satellites
Practise The life cycle of a star. 14 exam-style questions on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
Cover the answers and test yourself. The app has these as flashcards that come back just before you'd forget them.
The Sun is a main sequence star. Which element is fused in the core of a main sequence star?
Hydrogen
Gold is an element that is heavier than iron. Where was the gold found on the Earth produced?
In a supernova
State what eventually happens to a white dwarf.
It slowly cools and becomes a black dwarf.
Name the heaviest element that can be produced by nuclear fusion inside a normal star (before it explodes).
Iron
Sample questions
Written for this site in the style of AQA exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1Easy4 marks
The Sun is a main sequence star.
(a) What will the Sun become after its red giant stage? Tick (✓) one box.[1]
A black hole
A neutron star
A supernova
A white dwarf
(b) Which element is fused in the core of a main sequence star?[1]
(c) Which element is produced by this fusion?[1]
(d) Elements heavier than iron are produced in one stage of the life cycle of a massive star. Name this stage.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: A white dwarf
(b)Answer: Hydrogen
hydrogen
(c)Answer: Helium
helium
(d)Answer: Supernova
supernova
Question 2Medium6 marks
The life cycle of a star depends on its size.
(a) Describe how the life cycle of a star much bigger than the Sun is different from the life cycle of the Sun, after the main sequence stage.[4]
(b) Explain why a white dwarf eventually becomes a black dwarf.[2]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: Sun: red giant → white dwarf → black dwarf. Much bigger star: red super giant → supernova → neutron star or black hole.
the Sun will become a red giant, but a much bigger star becomes a red super giant
the Sun will become a white dwarf
a much bigger star explodes as a supernova
a much bigger star ends as a neutron star or a black hole, whereas the Sun's white dwarf cools to become a black dwarf
(b)Answer: With no fusion, it cools as it radiates until it no longer emits visible light.
there is no fusion in a white dwarf, so it cools down as it emits radiation
eventually it is too cool to emit (significant) visible light
Question 3Hard6 marks
Describe the life cycle of a star that is much bigger than the Sun, from its formation to the end of its life. Include the processes that happen at each stage.[6]
Show the answer and mark scheme
Answer: Level-of-response answer: nebula → protostar → main sequence (hydrogen fusion, equilibrium) → red super giant (fusion up to iron) → supernova (heavier elements, scattered) → neutron star or black hole.
a nebula (cloud of dust and gas) is pulled together by gravity
it becomes a protostar, which gets hotter and denser as it collapses
fusion of hydrogen into helium starts in the core and it becomes a main sequence star
during the main sequence, the outward pressure from fusion energy balances the inward force of gravity (stable)
when the hydrogen in the core runs out, the star swells to become a red super giant
heavier elements, up to iron, are formed by fusion in the red super giant
the star explodes as a supernova, forming elements heavier than iron and scattering elements through space
what remains becomes a neutron star or, for the biggest stars, a black hole
Marked with levels of response: the full level descriptors are in the app.