Which event most likely created the atoms of gold found in your jewelry or electronics?

• A. Radioactive decay in Earth's crust
• B. The Big Bang
• C. A supernova explosion
• D. Fusion in the core of the Sun

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that gold atoms are heavy elements, which means they have a large number of protons and neutrons in their nuclei.
2. Recall that the Big Bang primarily produced the lightest elements, such as hydrogen and helium, so it is unlikely to have created heavy elements like gold.
3. Consider that radioactive decay in Earth's crust involves the transformation of existing elements but does not create new heavy elements like gold from scratch.
4. Recognize that fusion in the core of the Sun produces energy and elements up to iron, but elements heavier than iron, such as gold, require more energetic processes.
5. Learn that supernova explosions provide the extreme conditions necessary for rapid neutron capture (the r-process), which creates heavy elements like gold and disperses them into space, eventually becoming part of planets and jewelry.