Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 16, Problem 17E
Which of the following transformations is (are) fusion and which is (are) fission: helium to carbon, carbon to iron, uranium to lead, boron to carbon, oxygen to neon? (See Appendix K for a list of the elements.)
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You are having a family holiday dinner with your extended family: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. The conversation turns to your studies in physics, and you tell everyone about your studies about fusion reactions in the Sun. One of your nephews says, “Oh, yeah? I think the Sun is just a big ball of gasoline burning away. How can you prove that that isn’t true?” (a) Based on the fact that gasoline delivers about 1.3 x 10^8 J of energy for each gallon burned, perform a calculation that will show your nephew how long the Sun would last if it were made of gasoline. (b) Perform a calculation to show your nephew that nuclear fusion of all the hydrogen in the Sun could last a lot longer.
Another series of nuclear reactions that can produce energy in the interior of stars is the carbon cycle first proposed by Hans Bethe in 1939, leading to his Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967. This cycle is most efficient when the central temperature in a star is above 1.6 x 107 K. Because the temperature at the center of the Sun is only 1.5 x 107 K, the following cycle produces less than 10% of the Sun’s energy. (a) A high-energy proton is absorbed by 12C. Another nucleus, A, is produced in the reaction, along with a gamma ray. Identify nucleus A. (b) Nucleus A decays through positron emission to form nucleus B. Identify nucleus B. (c) Nucleus B absorbs a proton to produce nucleus C and a gamma ray. Identify nucleus C. (d) Nucleus C absorbs a proton to produce nucleus D and a gamma ray. Identify nucleus D. (e) Nucleus D decays through positron emission to produce nucleus E. Identify nucleus E. (f) Nucleus E absorbs a proton to produce nucleus F plus an alpha particle. Identify nucleus F.…
Question A7
Consider the fusion reaction
Calculate the kinetic energy of 4He.
15NH 12C + 4 He.
Chapter 16 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 16 - How do we know the age of the Sun?Ch. 16 - Explain how we know that the Sun’s energy is not...Ch. 16 - What is the ultimate source of energy that makes...Ch. 16 - What are the formulas for the three steps in the...Ch. 16 - How is a neutrino different from a neutron? List...Ch. 16 - Describe in your own words what is meant by the...Ch. 16 - Two astronomy students travel to South Dakota. One...Ch. 16 - What do measurements of the number of neutrinos...Ch. 16 - Do neutrinos have mass? Describe how the answer to...Ch. 16 - Neutrinos produced in the core of the Sun carry...
Ch. 16 - What conditions are required before proton-proton...Ch. 16 - Describe the two main ways that energy travels...Ch. 16 - Someone suggests that astronomers build a special...Ch. 16 - Earth contains radioactive elements whose decay...Ch. 16 - The Sun is much larger and more massive than...Ch. 16 - A friend who has not had the benefit of an...Ch. 16 - Which of the following transformations is (are)...Ch. 16 - Why is a higher temperature required to fuse...Ch. 16 - Earth’s atmosphere is in hydrostatic equilibrium....Ch. 16 - Explain what it means when we say that Earth’s...Ch. 16 - What mechanism transfers heat away from the...Ch. 16 - Suppose you are standing a few feet away from a...Ch. 16 - Give some everyday examples of the transport of...Ch. 16 - Suppose the proton-proton cycle in the Sun were to...Ch. 16 - Do you think that nuclear fusion takes place in...Ch. 16 - Why is fission not an important energy source in...Ch. 16 - Why do you suppose so great a fraction of the...Ch. 16 - Explain how mathematical computer models allow us...Ch. 16 - Estimate the amount of mass that is converted to...Ch. 16 - How much energy is released when a proton combines...Ch. 16 - The Sun converts 4109 kg of mass to energy every...Ch. 16 - Assume that the mass of the Sun is 75% hydrogen...Ch. 16 - In fact, the conversion of mass to energy in the...Ch. 16 - Now suppose that all of the hydrogen atoms in the...Ch. 16 - Models of the Sun indicate that only about 10% of...Ch. 16 - Show that the statement in the text is correct:...Ch. 16 - Every second, the Sun converts 4 million tons of...Ch. 16 - Raymond Davis Jr.’s neutrino detector contained...
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Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- For a fusion reaction, at which temperature T do you expect the optimal reaction rate to approximately occur? In the expressions below EG is the Gamow energy of the reaction and k is the Boltzmann constant. Select one: O a. T O b. T O c. T O d. T O e. T = = = = = EG 100k 100EG k EG k 10EG k EG 10karrow_forwardFor a fusion reaction, at which temperature T do you expect the optimal reaction rate to approximately occur? In the expressions below EG is the Gamow energy of the reaction and k is the Boltzmann constant. Select one: O a. T O b. T: O c. T d. T = Oe. T - - = = EG 100k 10EG k EG 10k EG k 100 EG karrow_forwardOrdinary hydrogen is sometimes called a perfect fuel, both because of its almost unlimited supply on Earth and because, when it burns, harmless water is the product of the combustion. So why don’t we abandon fission and fusion energies, not to mention fossil-fuel energy, and just use hydrogen?arrow_forward
- On absorption of a single neutron, plutonium Pu-239 can undergo fission into xenon Xe-134 plus zirconium Zr-103 plus three neutrons. The masses of these nuclei are, mpu-239 = 239.052 amu, mxe-134 = 133.905 amu, and mzr-103 = 102.927 amu. Calculate the energy given off in this nuclear reaction. Back Alt+Left arrowarrow_forward10. A nuclear reactor is 35% efficient and has a power output of 350 MW. If we consider all the fission reactions to give out the same energy, 2.78 x 1011 J how many moles of uranium-235 is needed each second by the power station? AA 5.975 x 105 B 5.935 x 105 C 5.835 x 105 D 5.739 x 105arrow_forwardAnother series of nuclear reactions that can produce energy in the interior of stars is the cycle described below. This cycle is most efficient when the central temperature in a star is above 1.6x10' K. Because the temperature at the center of the Sun is only 1.5×10' K, the following cycle below produces less than 10% of the Sun's energy. (Enter the mass number in the first raised box, the atomic number in the second lower box, and the element in the third box.) (a) A high-energy proton is absorbed by 12c. Another nucleus, A, is produced in the reaction, along with a gamma ray. Identify nucleus A. (b) Nucleus A decays through positron emission to form nucleus B. Identify nucleus B. (c) Nucleus B absorbs a proton to produce nucleus C and a gamma ray. Identify nucleus C. (d) Nucleus C absorbs a proton to produce nucleus D and a gamma ray. Identify nucleus D. (e) Nucleus D decays through positron emission to produce nucleus E. Identify nucleus E. (f) Nucleus E absorbs a proton to produce…arrow_forward
- Why is there, unlike fission fuel, no limit to the amount of fusion fuel that can be safely stored in one locality?arrow_forwardThe fission process in a reactor is represented by the equation below: U235 + n1 = La148+ Br85 + 3n1. If the elements in the above equation have the following atomic mass units (a.m.u ): U235 =235.124, n1 =1.009 La148= 147.96 and Br85 = 84.938. Given that mass of 1 a.m.u =1.67 x 10 -27 kg and 1.619 x 10-19 J = eV. 235g of Uranium contains 6.03 x 1023 atoms. a.Calculate the mass of Uranium atom that will be converted into heat energy by the fission process. b. Calculate the total amount of energy in MeV released during the fission process c.Calculate the amount of energy in J that can be obtained from one kilogramme of Uranium during a fission processarrow_forwardThe energy yield of a nuclear weapon is often defined in terms of the equivalent mass of a conventional explosive. 1 ton of a conventional explosive releases 4.2 GJ. A typical nuclear warhead releases 250,000 times more, so the yield is expressed as 250 kilotons. That is a staggering explosion, but the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs was significantly greater. Assume that the asteroid was a sphere 10 km in diameter, with a density of 2500 kg/m3 and moving at 30 km/s. What energy was released at impact, in joules and in kilotons?arrow_forward
- Consider equal numbers of deuterium and tritium nuclei fusing to form helium-4 nuclei, as given in the image. part a) What is the yield in joules of kinetic energy liberated per kilogram of fuel? part b) How does this compare with a typical yield of 10^6 J/kg for chemical fuels?arrow_forwardPlease help. This problem involves finding the amount of deuterium needed to generate a certain amount of energy. Thank you.arrow_forwardExplain why the fusion reaction of atomic nuclei-the formation of lighter nuclei of heavier ones-is a colossal source of energy.arrow_forward
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