Sorry, but you onyl got one right. Which leads to why you asked the question in the first place.
You answered them assuming your "theory" was right, yet you were asking the question in regards to the scientific communities current understanding...as if an iron-rich cloud produced in a nova was something that was unexplained or unexpected by current theory.
It's not the "cloud" that is unexplained, it's that outside shell of iron rich materials that really doesn't fit current theory IMO. If the star simply implodes to create iron (or neutron material) in the center of the core, there's no real reason to believe that the heaviest stuff is going to fly off as some outside "shell" in the explosion. I understand the basic idea of producing iron, but the notion of an outer metal rich shell isn't really congruent with an implosive scenario which should push stuff into a "core". An inner explosion with an outer heavy crust would certainly create a shell around the supernova and a long lasting shock wave where the inertia of the shell fragments is passed along to elements that it slams into.
It is not. WHich leads me to think that you're criticizing the current theory without even understanding what it states or predicts.
Do you have a paper that "predicted" (not posticted) an outer shell of iron rich material? It's possible your criticism is valid, but I've yet to see such a thing prior to more current observations.
What causes a star to explode as a nova or supernova?
When it's burned enough of it's fusion fuel that it becomes unstable. The outer layers blow off as the inner parts collapse on themsleves due to gravity, as the available energy from fusion is no longer enough to coutneract gravitational force.
At what point in the stars lifecycle would this occur?
At the end, when the fusion fuel is mostly gone.
What would be the composition of the star at this point in it's lifecycle?
It would enclude an abundance of heavy elements, specifically iron (as the end-point of energy release for nuclear reactions).
Sure, but why the "shell", rather than say and "lump of central iron"?
Bonus Question:
How big of an element can you make via fusion before you start losing energy?
This one you got correct.
Do I get a cookie?
IN the model you discuss, you talk about the hydrogen core exploding, but that doesn't fit with observation. We find dwarf stars and neutron stars in the center of some nebula, indicating the remnant remaining after the explosion.
Well, sure, but not every scenario will necessarily be identical to the one I described. Some cores might become "unstable" for awhile, and the shell might in fact "collapse" in this scenario too, and may even help to stablize the core again. Lot's of things could happen in various scenarios. In almost all scenarios, I would expect the leading materials to typically be rather "iron rich" from the very start.
The idea that the core explodes after a neutron star deteriorates seems to run counter to that. This also does not agree with the idea that it's gravitational force has deteriorated...if that's so, why would there be any remnant remaining?
Well, an unstable core might cause the crust to implode into the core too, and that process may even help replenish the neutron material in the core. You can't simply assume only one thing can occur, and in fact we know from how they look that things happen in very different ways in some circumstances. Size might matter. Overall composition might play a role. The exact physical "blow out" process might make a difference.
OR are you arguing that gravitational force increases after it blows off a substantial portion of its mass?
The core might in fact pick up more gravitation force due to it picking up more raw material that it turns back into neutron material, sure. Anything is possible if core implodes rather than if the core explodes.
Sorry, but I don't see how that model fits with evidence. And you're still completely misrepresenting current theory.
I'm really not trying to misrepresent current theory. Sorry you feel that way.