A little help here with black holes

In summary, a black hole is an object that is so dense, gravity pulls everything in, including light. They come in different shapes and sizes and can have an event horizon, which is the point beyond which light cannot escape. Hawking radiation and black hole decay are topics that are covered in more detail.
  • #1
hytech
2
0
Well I'm a senior in high school have an independent study to finish for my physics class.
I have started my research, however I am still needing to know how I am going to pull a good 10 pages of information from this project (which is how many the teacher is asking for). I just need to know things to include in my research to really make a good project. Any help would be appreciated.

Also one last thing, if anyone can recommend some books about black holes (because I need to have 2 to make reference to), that would also make me a happy camper.
 
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  • #2
Well I'd suggest you read through the wiki page as it will give you plenty of details.

Are you focussing on any specific details or is it just a simple overview of the topic?

Regardless, there is plenty of info available on PF (do a quick search) or through wiki / Google to keep you occupied for well over 10 pages.
 
  • #3
Its just a general overview. What I was looking for was someone to to say something like: "Make sure to include ____" or something around those means.
 
  • #4
Well start with what a black hole is. I reckon you could get a good page out of describing what they are and how they form.

Then discuss the gravity, its effects and reference the event horizon. That should give you another page at least.

Then perhaps bring our sun into it, discuss why it can't become a black hole and what size its event horizon it would have if it was a black hole (I believe it's around 3km). Plus talk about other stars, minimum size for a star to become one.

A bit on super-massive black holes wouldn't go amiss.

Different types (rotating and stationary).
 
  • #5
Don't miss quantum stuff like Hawking radiation and black hole decay. Issues about unitarity violation. (Does what falls into a black hole matter in terms of what comes out when it decays?). There's primordial black holes as a dark matter candidate. This is just first thoughts. There's tons of stuff.
 
  • #6
Dick said:
Don't miss quantum stuff like Hawking radiation and black hole decay. Issues about unitarity violation. (Does what falls into a black hole matter in terms of what comes out when it decays?). There's primordial black holes as a dark matter candidate. This is just first thoughts. There's tons of stuff.

I tried to avoid anything too 'heavy' as I'm British and not sure what a High School senior level is like. But if possible, I would include some of this.
 
  • #7
jarednjames said:
I tried to avoid anything too 'heavy' as I'm British and not sure what a High School senior level is like. But if possible, I would include some of this.

Sure but Stephen Hawking sells well here even in the Colonies, in the popular press. I'm not completely sure why. Hawking entered into a famous bet about the information paradox and lost. That's dramatic. Makes good copy. Look it up hytech. BTW, nice kitty!
 
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Related to A little help here with black holes

1. What is a black hole?

A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from it. This makes it invisible to the naked eye.

2. How are black holes formed?

Black holes are formed when a massive star dies and collapses in on itself due to its own gravity. This creates a singularity, a point of infinite density and zero volume, which is surrounded by an event horizon, the point of no return for anything that enters the black hole.

3. Can we see black holes?

No, we cannot see black holes directly because they do not emit any light. However, we can observe their effects on surrounding matter, such as the bending of light and the heating of gas, which helps us identify their presence.

4. Are there different types of black holes?

Yes, there are three main types of black holes: stellar black holes, which are formed from the collapse of massive stars; intermediate black holes, which are larger than stellar black holes but smaller than supermassive black holes; and supermassive black holes, which are found at the center of most galaxies and can be billions of times more massive than our sun.

5. Are black holes dangerous?

Black holes are not dangerous in the sense that they will actively seek out and destroy objects in their path. However, their immense gravity can have a powerful influence on their surroundings, pulling in nearby matter and causing extreme distortions in space and time. It is only dangerous for objects that come too close to the black hole's event horizon.

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