STR - Fusion LESSON
Fusion
If you are looking up into the night sky and you see stars "burning" bright, what kind of energy is generated to make these bright objects in the sky capable of warming planets millions of kilometers away? Stars do not really "burn" anything. Stars actually emit energy in the form of light and heat through a process called fusion. In particular, the fusion of hydrogen causes atoms to smash into each other at very high speeds. This process leads to the production of helium. The resulting loss of mass produces energy. This is similar to the reaction that takes place in a hydrogen bomb.
"Baker Shot", part of Operation Crossroads, a nuclear test by the United States at Bikini Atoll in 1946.
Want to learn more about how fusion reactions happen? Take a look at the chart below!
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Drawing of a hydrogen Bohr Model showing protons and electrons. Fusion is a process where two or more nuclei combine to form an element with a higher atomic number. In this case that would be Helium. Fusion releases energy. Einstein's equation E=mc2 shows us this type of energy released. |
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Drawing of a helium Bohr Model showing protons and electrons. Notice that helium has 2 protons, 2 neutrons, and 2 electrons, whereas hydrogen only had 1 of each. |
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The proton-proton chain reaction is one of two known sets of fusion reactions where stars convert hydrogen to helium. This is the typical reaction that takes place in stars the size of our Sun or smaller. In this drawing, you see the protons of hydrogen "smashing" into each other until helium is formed. You also get the creation of positrons and neutrinos in this process. Since the conversion of hydrogen to helium is slow, the complete conversion of the hydrogen in the core of Earth's Sun is calculated to take more than 10 billion years. |
See description of diagram Links to an external site.
To review what you learned about fusion, complete the self-assessment below!
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