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GCSE Physics · key term
An expanded star formed after a Sun-sized star runs low on hydrogen in its core.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Specification 4.8.1.2 · Paper 2
Revise: The life cycle of a starThe star's outer layers expand, making it a red giant. Later, those outer layers drift away and leave a hot, dense core called a white dwarf. The white dwarf gradually cools; a completely cooled remnant is called a black dwarf.
Specification 7.16P · Paper 1
A late stage of a Sun-like star in which its outer layers expand and cool, making the star much larger and redder.
Revise: Star Evolution (Solar Mass)The star is therefore called a red giant: giant describes its increased size and red describes its cooler surface.
Give both branches of the life cycle: a Sun-sized star becomes a red giant and white dwarf; a much more massive star becomes a red supergiant and undergoes a supernova.
Use the exact order required by the specification: nebula → main-sequence star → red giant → white dwarf.
A white dwarf is the hot, dense remnant of the core, not the expanded outer part of the red giant.
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