Nuclear Fusion

• What is nuclear fusion?

  Joining two lighter nuclei to form a larger nucleus
• What happens when two hydrogen nuclei fuse?

  They form helium-3 and release energy
• What fuels stars?

  Nuclear fusion
• How are elements heavier than hydrogen formed?

  Through nuclear fusion processes
• Why does fusion produce large amounts of energy?

  Mass is converted to energy during fusion
• What happens to the mass of helium nuclei formed from hydrogen fusion?

  It is slightly lighter than the original mass
• What is Einstein's equation related to fusion energy?

  E = mc² describes mass-energy conversion
• How do you calculate energy from mass loss in fusion?

  Multiply mass loss by speed of light squared
• What is the approximate value of the speed of light squared?

  About $9 \times 10^{16}$
• What is a significant advantage of nuclear fusion?

  It produces no radioactive waste
• What is necessary for nuclear fusion to occur?

  High temperatures and pressures, around 10 million °C
• Why can't we currently perform nuclear fusion on Earth?

  It requires extremely high temperatures and pressures
• What is the difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission?

  Fusion fuses light nuclei; fission splits heavy nuclei
• What is the energy output comparison between fusion and fission?

  Fusion produces much more energy than fission
• What process do we use on Earth to generate electricity?

  Nuclear fission
• What are the key characteristics of nuclear fusion?

  • Fuses light nuclei to form heavier nuclei
  • Releases large amounts of energy
  • Occurs at high temperatures and pressures
  • Produces no radioactive waste
• What are the key characteristics of nuclear fission?

  • Splits large unstable nuclei into smaller nuclei
  • Produces energy, but less than fusion
  • Used for electricity generation on Earth