Stefan-boltzmann solved for temperature?

In summary, the effective temperature of a star is based on its mass and is around 4.2358e+23 degrees Celsius.
  • #1
~jet
18
0
My physics is extremely rusty (I was bored to death back in school and had no practical application of the stuff to make it interesting and/or truly sink it.) Now, I have an application, and while I have a long way to go, it is pleasurable to be comprehending things as I go.

To a point, and here is where I ask for some help and confirmations. Namely, I need to find the effective (surface?) temperature of a star (presumably main sequence and not extraordinary in mass) based on its mass.

First, smash my face in if I miscombobulated the stefan-boltzmann law:

L = 4[itex]\pi[/itex]R[itex]^{2}[/itex][itex]\sigma[/itex]T[itex]^{4}_{eff}[/itex]

... to look for T[itex]_{eff}[/itex]: (and turning 4[itex]\pi[/itex]R[itex]^{2}[/itex] into A for now)

T[itex]_{eff}[/itex] = [itex]\sqrt[4]{L/A\sigma}[/itex]

No?

Walp, I've already plugged this into my code, and I'm getting absolutely absurd results for a near-solar-mass star: 4.23581197119e+23 (x10[itex]^{23}[/itex] for the noncoders out there) when I'm expecting to get roughly 5700-5800K. So I am forced to assume either that I flubbed my reconfiguring of S-BL or I am horribly misreading the S-B constant:

[itex]\sigma[/itex] = 5.670373(21)×10[itex]^{−8}[/itex]Jm[itex]^{−2}[/itex]s[itex]^{−1}[/itex]K[itex]^{−4}[/itex].

That's quite a unit... I'm almost certain I'm not reading it correctly. Tips?
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
~jet said:
My physics is extremely rusty (I was bored to death back in school and had no practical application of the stuff to make it interesting and/or truly sink it.) Now, I have an application, and while I have a long way to go, it is pleasurable to be comprehending things as I go.

To a point, and here is where I ask for some help and confirmations. Namely, I need to find the effective (surface?) temperature of a star (presumably main sequence and not extraordinary in mass) based on its mass.

First, smash my face in if I miscombobulated the stefan-boltzmann law:

L = 4[itex]\pi[/itex]R[itex]^{2}[/itex][itex]\sigma[/itex]T[itex]^{4}_{eff}[/itex]

... to look for T[itex]_{eff}[/itex]: (and turning 4[itex]\pi[/itex]R[itex]^{2}[/itex] into A for now)

T[itex]_{eff}[/itex] = [itex]\sqrt[4]{L/A\sigma}[/itex]

Yes, if you mean [itex]\sqrt[4]{L/\left(A\sigma\right)}[/itex] or [itex]\sqrt[4]{L/A/\sigma}[/itex], and I get the correct result using this.
~jet said:
Walp, I've already plugged this into my code, and I'm getting absolutely absurd results for a near-solar-mass star: 4.23581197119e+23 (x10[itex]^{23}[/itex] for the noncoders out there) when I'm expecting to get roughly 5700-5800K. So I am forced to assume either that I flubbed my reconfiguring of S-BL or I am horribly misreading the S-B constant:

[itex]\sigma[/itex] = 5.670373(21)×10[itex]^{−8}[/itex]Jm[itex]^{−2}[/itex]s[itex]^{−1}[/itex]K[itex]^{−4}[/itex].

That's quite a unit... I'm almost certain I'm not reading it correctly. Tips?

For troubleshooting, it would help if you posted [itex]\sqrt[4]{L/A\sigma}[/itex] exactly as you coded it, including the numerical values that you used.
 
  • #3
George Jones said:
Yes, if you mean [itex]\sqrt[4]{L/\left(A\sigma\right)}[/itex] or [itex]\sqrt[4]{L/A/\sigma}[/itex], and I get the correct result using this.

Yip yip, that's what I mean; good to hear.


George Jones said:
For troubleshooting, it would help if you posted [itex]\sqrt[4]{L/A\sigma}[/itex] exactly as you coded it, including the numerical values that you used.

the code is simple python, accepting solar masses as an argument:

star.mass = 1.98892e+30 (kg)
star.luminosity = star.mass ** 3.5 (1.1095850642735086e+106)
star.radius = (star.mass ** 0.8) * solar_radius (~695,500,000m)
star.surface_area = (4 * pi * (self.radius ** 2)) (~6.078608e+18 m2
star.effective_temperature = (self.luminosity / (self.surface_area * stefan_boltzmann_constant )) ** 0.25 (~4.2358e+23 wawahoozit units)

The code seems fine to me (assuming I've taken accurate information from the solar-comparative equations peppering the web.) I think I am mangling the units. Probably starting with luminosity... looking at it in erg/s (on the order of 1033) I think I see a place to start
 
  • #4
~jet said:
star.luminosity = star.mass ** 3.5 (1.1095850642735086e+106)

This can't be correct. I think it should be something like
[tex]\frac{L}{L_{Sun}} = \left( \frac{M}{M_{Sun}} \right)^{3.5}.[/tex]
 
  • #5
  • #6
In any event, I shall plug away it at again; converting my radius to cm, I was able to get closER (as (erg/s)/(cm2erg/scm2K4) canceled down a lot easier)... at my next opportunity, I see what happens when I try that as you show it instead.
 
  • #7
George Jones said:
This can't be correct. I think it should be something like
[tex]\frac{L}{L_{Sun}} = \left( \frac{M}{M_{Sun}} \right)^{3.5}.[/tex]

Kay, so still doing something wrong... I'm getting 32486K for a sunmass star when I use what wikipedia claims. Am I misconstruing your equation when I flip it to

[tex]L = \left(\left( \frac{M}{M_{Sun}} \right)^{3.5}\right)L_{Sun}.[/tex]

Further, why do you say 3.5 and wikipedia claim 4?
 
  • #8
Perhaps I'm also asking the wrong question; I may still be blending my units poorly.

[itex]T = \sqrt[4]{\frac{L}{A\sigma}}[/itex] and I try to read this in units:

[itex]\frac{erg/s}{\frac{cm^{2} erg}{s cm^{2} K^{4}}}[/itex]

If that isn't butchered, it does have a pleasing cascade of cancellations that lead me to

[itex]\frac{1}{K^{4}}[/itex]

That's either wrong or I don't know how to ~read~ that properly. Beware, I'm many years out of practice and didn't have anything by way of application at the time to let it truly sink in.
 
  • #9
Solved it; I was unwittingly trying to combine erg/s with watts
 

1. What is Stefan-Boltzmann law?

The Stefan-Boltzmann law is a physical law that describes the relationship between the temperature of an object and the amount of thermal radiation it emits. It states that the total energy radiated per unit surface area of a black body is directly proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature.

2. How is Stefan-Boltzmann law used to solve for temperature?

The Stefan-Boltzmann law can be rearranged to solve for temperature by dividing both sides by the Stefan-Boltzmann constant and then taking the fourth root. This will give you the temperature in terms of energy per unit surface area.

3. What is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant?

The Stefan-Boltzmann constant, denoted by the symbol σ, is a physical constant that appears in the Stefan-Boltzmann law. Its value is approximately 5.67 x 10^-8 watts per meter squared per Kelvin to the fourth power.

4. Can the Stefan-Boltzmann law be used for non-black bodies?

Yes, the Stefan-Boltzmann law can be applied to objects that are not perfect black bodies by using an emissivity factor. Emissivity is a measure of how well an object emits thermal radiation compared to a perfect black body. The formula for calculating the energy emitted by a non-black body is E = εσT^4, where ε is the emissivity and σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant.

5. How does the Stefan-Boltzmann law relate to the temperature of stars?

The Stefan-Boltzmann law is used to determine the surface temperature of stars. By measuring the total energy radiated by a star and knowing its surface area, the temperature can be calculated using the Stefan-Boltzmann law. This is important in studying the physical properties and evolution of stars.

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