1. What is Black Hole Calculator?
Definition: This calculator computes the event horizon radius of a black hole before and after a falling object merges with it, the final black hole mass, the event horizon growth percentage, and the energy released due to mass conversion during the merger.
Purpose: It is used in astrophysics to understand the effects of mass accretion on a black hole, including changes in its event horizon and the energy released as radiation during the process.
2. How Does the Calculator Work?
The calculator uses the following equations:
- \( r_s = \frac{2GM}{c^2} \)
To calculate the final black hole mass after the merger (assuming 5.5% of the total mass is converted to energy):
- \( M_{final} = (M_{bh} + M_{obj}) \times 0.945 \)
The event horizon radius after the merger is calculated using the same equation with the final mass:
- \( r_{s,final} = \frac{2GM_{final}}{c^2} \)
The event horizon growth percentage is:
- \( \text{Event Horizon Growth \%} = \left| \frac{M_{final}}{M_{bh}} - 1 \right| \times 100 \)
The energy released due to the 5.5% mass conversion is calculated using:
- \( E_{released} = ((M_{bh} + M_{obj}) \times 0.055) \times c^2 \)
Where:
- \( r_s \): Event horizon radius before the merger (m)
- \( r_{s,final} \): Event horizon radius after the merger (m)
- \( M_{bh} \): Initial black hole mass (kg)
- \( M_{obj} \): Mass of the falling object (kg)
- \( M_{final} \): Final black hole mass after the merger (kg)
- \( G \): Gravitational constant (\( 6.67430 \times 10^{-11} \, \text{m}^3 \text{kg}^{-1} \text{s}^{-2} \))
- \( c \): Speed of light (\( 299,792,458 \, \text{m/s} \))
- \( E_{released} \): Energy released due to mass conversion (J)
Unit Conversions:
- Mass (\( M_{bh} \), \( M_{obj} \), \( M_{final} \)):
- 1 kg = 1 kg
- 1 Solar Mass = \( 1.989 \times 10^{30} \, \text{kg} \)
- 1 Earth Mass = \( 5.972 \times 10^{24} \, \text{kg} \)
- Event Horizon Radius (\( r_s \), \( r_{s,final} \)):
- 1 meter = 1 m
- 1 kilometer = 1000 m
- 1 mile = 1609.344 m
- Energy Released (\( E_{released} \)):
- 1 J = 1 J
- 1 × 10¹² J = 10¹² J
- 1 × 10¹⁵ J = 10¹⁵ J
- 1 × 10²⁴ J = 10²⁴ J
- 1 × 10⁴⁴ J = 1 foe (bethe)
Steps:
- Enter the initial black hole mass (\( M_{bh} \)) and the mass of the falling object (\( M_{obj} \)) with their respective units (kg, solar masses, or Earth masses).
- Convert both masses to kilograms.
- Calculate the event horizon radius before the merger (\( r_s \)).
- Calculate the final black hole mass (\( M_{final} \)) after the merger.
- Calculate the event horizon radius after the merger (\( r_{s,final} \)).
- Calculate the event horizon growth percentage.
- Calculate the energy released due to the 5.5% mass conversion.
- Convert the results to the selected units for display (meters, kilometers, or miles for radii; kg, solar masses, or Earth masses for final mass; various powers of 10 for energy).
- Display the results with 4 decimal places.
3. Importance of Black Hole Calculations
These calculations are crucial for:
- Understanding Black Hole Growth: They show how a black hole's event horizon changes as it accretes mass, which is key to studying black hole evolution.
- Energy Release in Astrophysics: The energy released as radiation during mass accretion can power phenomena like quasars and active galactic nuclei.
- Space Exploration: Understanding the gravitational effects and energy release near black holes is important for planning missions in extreme environments.
4. Using the Calculator
Example:
Calculate the effects of a 1 solar mass object falling into a black hole with an initial mass of 10 solar masses.
- Enter the black hole mass as 10 solar masses and the falling object mass as 1 solar mass.
- The calculator computes:
- Initial black hole mass: \( M_{bh} = 10 \times 1.989 \times 10^{30} = 1.989 \times 10^{31} \, \text{kg} \)
- Falling object mass: \( M_{obj} = 1 \times 1.989 \times 10^{30} = 1.989 \times 10^{30} \, \text{kg} \)
- Event horizon radius before: \( r_s = \frac{2GM_{bh}}{c^2} = \frac{2 \times (6.67430 \times 10^{-11}) \times (1.989 \times 10^{31})}{(299,792,458)^2} \approx 29532.5010 \, \text{m} \approx 29.5325 \, \text{km} \)
- Total mass before conversion: \( M_{bh} + M_{obj} = 1.989 \times 10^{31} + 1.989 \times 10^{30} = 2.188 \times 10^{31} \, \text{kg} \)
- Final black hole mass: \( M_{final} = (M_{bh} + M_{obj}) \times 0.945 = 2.188 \times 10^{31} \times 0.945 \approx 2.068 \times 10^{31} \, \text{kg} \)
- Event horizon radius after: \( r_{s,final} = \frac{2GM_{final}}{c^2} = \frac{2 \times (6.67430 \times 10^{-11}) \times (2.068 \times 10^{31})}{(299,792,458)^2} \approx 30748.8888 \, \text{m} \approx 30.7489 \, \text{km} \)
- Event horizon growth: \( \left| \frac{M_{final}}{M_{bh}} - 1 \right| \times 100 = \left| \frac{2.068 \times 10^{31}}{1.989 \times 10^{31}} - 1 \right| \times 100 \approx 3.9839\% \)
- Energy released: \( E_{released} = ((M_{bh} + M_{obj}) \times 0.055) \times c^2 = (2.188 \times 10^{31} \times 0.055) \times (299,792,458)^2 \approx 1.082 \times 10^{46} \, \text{J} \)
- In \( 10^{44} \, \text{J} \): \( 1.082 \times 10^{46} / 10^{44} \approx 108.2235 \, \text{foe} \)
5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the event horizon?
A: The event horizon is the boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing—not even light—can escape due to the immense gravitational pull. Its radius is the Schwarzschild radius.
Q: Why is 5.5% of the total mass converted to energy?
A: During the merger, a portion of the total mass (black hole + falling object) is converted to energy (e.g., as gravitational waves or radiation). The 5.5% value is an approximation based on typical efficiencies in such processes.
Q: What does the event horizon growth percentage indicate?
A: It shows the relative change in the event horizon radius due to the added mass, reflecting how the black hole's size changes after the merger.
Black Hole Calculator© - All Rights Reserved 2025