Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2017
Three topics in star formation theory are reviewed: the initial mass function, the star formation efficiency, and the star formation rate. A physical mechanism for bimodal star formation is developed. Applications are made to the solar neighborhood, to the inner galaxy, to starburst galaxies, and to past star formation in protodisks and in protoellipticals. Implications are drawn for galactic morphology, for chemical evolution, and for the present density of stellar remnants.