Explain the process of nuclear fusion in the Sun.

In the Sun the main fusion process is the fusion of hydrogen nuclei to form helium nuclei. Any two hydrogen nuclei repel each other as they are both positively charged, for the fusion to occur the two nuclei need to get close enough together so that this repulsion is overcome. This is achieved by the high temperature and pressure in the core of the Sun. The total mass of the products is less than the total mass of the reactants, the mass difference is released as energy, given by the equation E = mc2.

JA

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is electricity


How fast are geostationary satellites moving?


How do I work out the efficiency of a process from a Sankey diagram?


A 100kg weight is placed 0.75 meters from a see-saw on the right hand side. Dan is 75kg. How far away does he have to sit from the pivot on the left hand side to have it balance?