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Why is fusion an appealing energy source?

a. Extremely high temperatures are required.

b. The reaction can be confined by available structural materials.

c. Extremely high pressures are required.

d. Fusion products are generally not radioactive.

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Sagar Yadav
Sagar YadavLv10
12 Oct 2020

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Related textbook solutions

Physics: Principles with Applications
7th Edition, 2013
Giancoli
ISBN: 9780321625922

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The Sun is powered by nuclear fusion. In each chain reaction, four hydrogen nuclei fuse together to become a single helium nucleus. The total combined mass of the individual hydrogen nuclei before the reaction is greater than the mass of the helium nucleus. The mass lost as a result of this chain reaction is turned into energy according to Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc2 (Chapter 39). Consider the first part of the chain reaction in which two hydrogen nuclei (each a single proton) fuse. Figure P8.56A shows the potential energy curve of a two-proton system. The energy in this graph is given in keV, where “eV” is the abbreviation for the unit electron-volt and 1 eV = 1.6 × 10−19 J. When the protons are more than about 2 fm (2 × 10−15 m) apart, the potential energy is positive. When the protons are close together, the potential energy is negative, and the protons are fused. Figure P8.56B shows a close-up of the potential energy curve when the protons are far apart.

  1. a. What is the minimum mechanical energy required for the two protons to fuse? Give your answer in keV.
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  3. c. Explain why it seems impossible for fusion to take place in the Sun. Note: Of course, fusion must take place in the Sun. Although it seems impossible according to classical mechanics, quantum mechanics (Part VI) makes fusion possible. According to quantum mechanics, the seemingly impossible is merely improbable, and even events with a low probability of occurrence may still happen. Because there are so many protons in the Sun, there is a good chance that at any moment many of them will fuse.

Chapter 8, Problem 56PQ, The Sun is powered by nuclear fusion. In each chain reaction, four hydrogen nuclei fuse together to

A person makes a quantity of iced tea by mixing 730 g of hot tea(essentially water) with an equal mass of ice at its melting point.Assume the mixture has negligible energy exchanges with itsenvironment. (a) If the tea's initial temperature is Ti = 94°C,when thermal equilibrium is reached what are the mixture'stemperature Tf and (b) the remaining mass mf of ice? If Ti = 70°C,when thermal equilibrium is reached what are (c) Tf and (d) mf? Thespecific heat of water is 4186 J/kg·K. The latent heat of fusion is333 kJ/kg.
Give the temperatures in Celsius and the masses in grams.

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