Question

To understand the interplay of observations and models you must first be able to distinguish between things that we observe and things that we infer from models. Consider the following statements about the Sun. Classify each statement as an observation or as an inference based on the current, accepted model for the Sun. Observationsa. The photosphere is made mostly of hydrogen and heliumb. The photosphere emits ostly visible light.c. The corona is hotter than the photosphere.d. The sun emits neutrinos.e. The sun generates energy by fusing hydrogen into helium in its core.f. The core temperature is 10 million kg. The convection zone is cooler than the radiation zone.h. The composition of the photosphere is the same as that of the gas cloud that gave birth to our solar system.

Answer 1

Answer: a) Observation

b) observation

c) observation

d) observation

e) inference

f) inference

g) inference

h) inference

Explanation:

observation: The photosphere is made mostly of hydrogen and helium,The photosphere emits mostly visible light,The corona is hotter than the photosphere, The Sun emits neurtrinos

inferences: The Sun generates energy by fusing hydrogen into helium,The core temperature is 10 million k, The convection zone is cooler than the radiation zone,The composition of the photosphere is the same as that the gas cloud that have birth to our solar system.