Question

A white dwarf star, as it evolves, undergoes which of the following changes?

A) Its temperature remains constant, but its radius and therefore its luminosity decrease.
B) Luminosity and size decrease while its temperature remains constant.
C) It shrinks in size, the resulting release of gravitational energy keeping both luminosity and temperature constant.
D) Luminosity and temperature decrease while its size remains constant.

Answer 1

A white dwarf star undergoes changes in its luminosity and size while its temperature remains constant.

Step-by-step explanation:

A white dwarf star, as it evolves, undergoes the following changes:

B) Luminosity and size decrease while its temperature remains constant.

As a white dwarf star evolves, it gradually cools down over time. This causes its luminosity, which is a measure of its brightness, to decrease. At the same time, the star's size also decreases. However, its temperature remains relatively constant throughout this process.

For example, as a white dwarf star cools down, it goes from being a hot, bright star to a cooler, dimmer star. Its size also shrinks as it loses mass.