Indicate whether each of the following is characteristic of the fission or fusion process, or both:
b. The nuclear process occurs in the Sun.

Question

Indicate whether each of the following is characteristic of the fission or fusion process, or both:

b. The nuclear process occurs in the Sun.

Accepted Answer

Welcome back, everyone determine whether the statement below describes nuclear fusion, nuclear fission or both. The statement reads that it is a nuclear process that releases heat and light when occurring in the stars, including the sun. So let's begin by defining our two processes we have first nuclear fusion to define. And let's recall that this is a process in which we have two small atomic nuclei which I will represent as circles. These two small atomic nuclei experience electrostatic repulsion from one another. However, with the presence of around 100 million degrees Celsius of heat, this allows those electrostatic repulsive forces to be overcome and influences the particles to then combine. So now as a result, we have a product which forms as a larger nucleus. And this is followed with the release of a massive amount of energy in the form of heat and light, we should recognize that nuclear fusion is a natural process that occurs in the stars and sun. So we can think of an example in nature where the formation of helium arises from the combination of the atomic nuclei for deuterium and tritium. So through this reaction, we have the formation of helium. And it's also followed by the release of around 17.6 mega electron volts of energy. We should also take note that the energy released per unit mass for a fusion reaction is much greater than that released per mass or per unit mass for a fission reaction. So let's next define what occurs in a fission reaction for a vision reaction. This will involve a nucleus of an atom which can be bombarded by a neutron which is a smaller particle. And as a result, this nucleus is then split into two smaller nuclei and is also followed by the release of a large amount of energy. Now recall that fission does not occur naturally. However, we would observe that fission can occur within nuclear power plants where nuclear power plants specifically utilize the technique of nuclei or sorry neutron bombardment. So, technically, fission can occur without this neutron bombardment. But in nuclear power plants, that method is specifically used and we can also observe fission occur in the formation of atomic bombs. Now, an example of nuclear fission would be the use of the nuclear fuel uranium 35 which when bombarded with a neutron particle will result in the following nuclear fission products where we have barium, 1 41 krypton, 92 and three moles of neutron particles typically released along with the release of around 177 mega electron volts of energy. And this fission process for uranium 2 35 will generate heat which is ultimately connected to an electrical generator to form or to power electricity. So with all of this outlined between these two processes, and looking back at our statement given in the prompt, the nuclear process that releases heat and light occurring in stars as well as the sun will correspond to our final answer as the statement describing the process of nuclear fusion. So nuclear fusion is going to be our final answer to complete this example. I hope that this made sense and let us know if you have any questions.

Indicate whether each of the following is characteristic of the fission or fusion process, or both:
b. The nuclear process occurs in the Sun.

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Indicate whether each of the following is characteristic of the fission or fusion process, or both:b. The nuclear process occurs in the Sun.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

Key Concepts

Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fission

Energy Release in Nuclear Reactions

Indicate whether each of the following is characteristic of the fission or fusion process, or both:
b. The nuclear process occurs in the Sun.