Nuclear Fission vs Nuclear Fusion,

How old is the Sun and why?

-Less than 10 billion years old because that is the max-age before it dies out -Less than 7 billion years old because that is the max-age before the sun turns into a red-giant -Close to 4.5 billion years old → around the same age as the Earth, Moon, and meteorites

What are the requirements for nuclear fusions?

1) High speeds → you can overcome the repulsion that the protons have for each other making them move at extremely high speeds 2) High densities → can make sure collisions happen if the density is very high

Describe the steps of the proton-proton chain:

1) two protons are smashed together to make deuterium nucleus (1 proton and 1 neutron) 2) a proton crashes into a deuterium nucleus which makes helium-3 (2 protons and 1 neutron) 3) steps 1 and 2 must be done twice so that there are two-helium 3 nuclei 4) two helium-3 nuclei are mashed together to make a helium-4 (2 protons and 2 neutrons) and two excess protons are released in the process 5) energy is released through this process

What is the lifetime of the sun?

10 billion years

E = mc2: Who created this equation?

Albert Einstein

What does the Maxwell-Boltzmann disruption tell us?

At any given temperature, you have a distribution of speeds among the particles. Some particles will be moving at very high speeds, some at lower ones, and some in the middle. Only a small fraction of the particles need to have enough speed for fusion. So, the temperature (measured from the average speed of particles) can be lower and fusion will still happen.

E = mc2 demonstrates that energy and mass are _____:

Demonstrates that energy and mass are interchangeable

You can determine the amount of energy that is attained through the process of nuclear fusion through what equation?

E = mc2

What does this equation mean?

Energy equal mass times the speed of light squared

High ____ and _____ are requirements for nuclear fusion:

High speeds and high densities are requirements for nuclear fusion

Why is it hard to do nuclear fusion?

It is hard to do nuclear fusion because you are trying to smash two protons together when the protons repel and do not want to get anywhere near each other

What does E = mc2tell you?

It tells you how much energy you can get from an amount of mass

What is the equation for lifetime?

Lifetime = (total energy available) / (rate of energy used)

Nuclear fission is a _____ process:

Nuclear fission is a decay process

Nuclear fission is _______:

Nuclear fission is radioactivity

Nuclear fission occurs when a large _____ splits into two smaller _____ and ____ is released:

Nuclear fission occurs when a large nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei and energy is released

Nuclear fusion is a ______ process:

Nuclear fusion is a combination process

Nuclear fusion is a process in which smaller ____ stick together to create a bigger _____:

Nuclear fusion is a process when smaller nuclei stick together to create a bigger nucleus

Example of when nuclear fusion is used?

Nuclear fusion is used to power the sun

Nuclear fusion powers the ____ and the _____:

Nuclear fusion powers the sun and the stars

Nuclear fusion releases ______:

Nuclear fusion releases energy

An example when nuclear fission is employed?

Nuclear power plants

Only a small fraction of the particles need to have enough _____ for fusion:

Only a small fraction of the particles need to have enough speed for fusion

The Maxwell-Boltzman distribution enables the sun to do nuclear fusion at a temperature of ___ million instead of ___ billion degrees:

The Maxwell-Boltzman distribution enables the sun to do nuclear fusion at a temperature of 10 million instead of 10 billion degrees

The mass lost in the conversion of two atoms of hydrogen to an atom of helium is transformed into _____:

The mass lost in the conversion of two atoms of hydrogen into an atom of helium is transformed into energy

What basic stellar property determines how long a star will live?

The mass of a star because it determines the luminosity, speed type, and rate at which fusion will occur

The process of nuclear fusion is called a _____ reaction:

The process of nuclear fusion is called a nuclear reaction

The proton-proton chain is a chain of reactions that is the main source of the ____ radiated by the sun and the stars:

The proton-proton chain is a chain of reactions that is the main source of the energy radiated by the sun and the stars

The proton-proton chain is an example of ____ _____:

The proton-proton chain is an example of nuclear fusion:

What is the process of nuclear fusion?

Two atoms of hydrogen combine together to form an atom of helium and some of the mass of hydrogen is converted into energy