by Rex Trulove

Created on: July 11, 2008

To understand the formation and cause of black holes, we must first understand some of the theories that surround them. It does little good, however, to become too technical or the information is useless to the average person. This is too often a problem in science today, and is why many people have difficulties when learning or grasping science.

Four forces; the strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, gravitation, and electro-magnetic force govern the universe of today. Black hole physics deals mostly with gravitation, though the other forces do have importance.

With gravity, every body that has a mass exerts an attractive force on every other body that has mass. In other words, two masses are drawn toward each other.

A star is formed when gases and other material collect under the force of gravity, becoming more and more compact until atoms are forced together, creating nuclear fusion. Nuclear forces (collectively) resist atoms coming together, but at the point of the birth of the star, the power of the nuclear forces to repel is overcome by the power of gravity to attract.

Temperatures rise until the atoms are ionized, meaning that they are stripped of electrons. As basically as possible, four hydrogen atoms are ionized and forced together, creating two helium atoms. The helium has slightly less mass, and the excess mass is released as photons of energy.

The star achieves equilibrium. That is, the forces of the radiation produced by the fusion balances the forces of gravitation. One pushes outward, the other pulls inward, but they are balanced so except for fluctuations, the star becomes relatively stable.

It doesn't remain stable. It takes more energy to combine helium into more dense atoms, but the hydrogen is being consumed in enormous amounts. Eventually, hydrogen burning gives way to helium burning, to carbon burning, and so forth. Each time a new level is reached, the outward force becomes greater than the inward force, yet the number of atoms decreases since it takes more of the simpler atoms to make the more complex atoms. The star swells.

For example, when our sun begins to burn primarily helium, it will expand to well beyond the orbit of Venus and could easily encompass the earth.

Eventually, this means that the star will get to the point where there is a big difference between forces bringing atoms together and those forcing them out. The star then forces off the outer layers in a vast explosion. Relatively minor explosions, which our own sun is slated

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