Hydrogen on the Sun The surface of the sun has a temperature of about 5800 K and consists largely of hydrogen atoms.
(a) Find the rms speed of a hydrogen atom at this temperature. (The mass of a single hydrogen atom is 1.67 X 10-27 kg.)
(b) The escape speed for a particle to leave the gravitational influence of the sun is given by (2GM/R) 1/2, where M is the sun's mass, R its radius, and G the gravitational constant (see Example 12.5 of Section12.3). Use the data in Appendix F to calculate this escape speed.
(c) Can appreciable quantities of hydrogen escape from the sun? Can any hydrogen escape? Explain.