ASTR 470 Problem Set 02 Solutions: Accretion efficiency in compact binaries

Instructor solution key

Rubric and tolerance

Require a dimensionally valid route, correct sign and comparative direction, explicit approximation, reproducible data path, and interpretation. Problems are worth 30, 30, 20, and 20 points. Accept algebraically equivalent routes when assumptions are disclosed.

Problem 1

Solution route: define the observable, write the model, substitute with SI units, perform an independent scale check, and interpret the residual or uncertainty. A complete response must state what the result does not establish.

Reference check: R = 5.1136 pc

Problem 2

Solution route: define the observable, write the model, substitute with SI units, perform an independent scale check, and interpret the residual or uncertainty. A complete response must state what the result does not establish.

Reference check: Use the stated file, source anchor, and perturbation; do not substitute an unverified catalog value.

Problem 3

Solution route: define the observable, write the model, substitute with SI units, perform an independent scale check, and interpret the residual or uncertainty. A complete response must state what the result does not establish.

Reference check: Use the stated file, source anchor, and perturbation; do not substitute an unverified catalog value.

Problem 4

Solution route: define the observable, write the model, substitute with SI units, perform an independent scale check, and interpret the residual or uncertainty. A complete response must state what the result does not establish.

Reference check: Use the stated file, source anchor, and perturbation; do not substitute an unverified catalog value.

Common errors

Penalize reversed ratios, hidden keV-to-joule or km-to-m conversions, treating a bandpass as sensitivity, and describing level-3 teaching records as observations. Separate arithmetic slips from conceptual errors.