What Makes Pulsars Spin? Exploring the Dynamics of Rotating Neutron Stars

(A) What is the angular speed of the pulsar?

Angular Speed Calculation: The angular speed of the pulsar can be calculated using the formula: angular speed = 2π / period. Given the period of the pulsar as 2.7575 seconds, substituting the values: angular speed = 2π / 2.7575 angular speed ≈ 2.277 rad/s

(B) What would be the rotational inertia of the neutron star modeled as a uniform sphere?

Rotational Inertia Calculation:

The rotational inertia of a uniform sphere is calculated using the formula: Rotational Inertia = (2/5) * mass * radius^2. Substituting the mass of the pulsar and the effective radius provided: Rotational Inertia ≈ 1.37 x 10^38 kgm^2

(C) What is the rotational (kinetic) energy of the pulsar?

Rotational Energy Calculation:

The rotational energy of the pulsar is determined using the formula: Rotational Energy = (1/2) * rotational inertia * angular speed^2. Substituting the values obtained for rotational inertia and angular speed: Rotational Energy ≈ 3.55 x 10^38 J

(D) How much rotational kinetic energy is lost by the pulsar in one second?

Change in Rotational Energy Calculation:

The change in rotational kinetic energy is calculated by the formula: Change in Rotational Energy = -angular speed * change in angular speed * rotational inertia. Substituting the given values for change in angular speed and rotational inertia: Change in Rotational Energy ≈ -5.286 x 10^26 J

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