The mass dependence of the overshooting parameter determined from eclipsing binary data

High-precision data on absolute dimensions of evolved eclipsing binaries ha ve been used for a quantitative evaluation of the significance of convectiv e overshoot in the stellar core. Eight detached double-lined eclipsing bina ries with components close to or beyond the terminal age main sequence (TAM S) and masses between 2 and 12 M-. have been compared with evolutionary mod els using different overshooting parameters. The results are robust and ind icate a systematic increase of the amount of convective overshoot with the stellar mass. Such determination constitutes a fundamental point for stella r structure and evolution theory.