What causes nuclear fusion in a star?

What causes nuclear fusion in a star?

Fusion: The energy source of stars. The energy released from the collapse of the gas into a protostar causes the center of the protostar to become extremely hot. When the core is hot enough, nuclear fusion commences. Fusion is the process where two hydrogen atoms combine to form a helium atom, releasing energy.

How does a nuclear fusion happen *?

Nuclear fusion is when two small, light nuclei join together to make one heavy nucleus. Fusion reactions occur in stars where two hydrogen nuclei fuse together under high temperatures and pressure to form a nucleus of a helium isotope . In all nuclear reactions a small amount of the mass changes to energy.

Where does nuclear fusion occur in a star *?

core
The collisions which occur between the hydrogen atoms starts to heat the gas in the cloud. Once the temperature reaches 15,000,000 degrees Celsius, nuclear fusion takes place in the center, or core, of the cloud. The tremendous heat given off by the nuclear fusion process causes the gas to glow creating a protostar.

What happens in nuclear fusion quizlet?

the process in which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or “fuse”, to form a single heavier nucleus. the process in which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or “fuse”, to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy.

What conditions are needed for nuclear fusion?

Conditions for Nuclear Fusion

  • Fusion requires temperatures of about 100 million Kelvin (approximately six times hotter than the sun’s core).
  • At these temperatures, hydrogen is a plasma, not a gas.
  • The sun achieves these temperatures by its large mass and the force of gravity compressing this mass in the core.

What conditions are needed for nuclear fusion to occur quizlet?

Many nuclear fusion reactions also include the release of a . Name two conditions that are necessary for fusion to occur in the Sun’s core. Extremely high temperature and high density at the Sun’s core allow fusion to occur. You just studied 7 terms!

How does nuclear fusion release energy quizlet?

If a neutron is fired into the nucleus of a uranium 235 atom, the atom will split into two new nuclei producing further neutrons and releasing energy in the form of heat (i.e. the kinetic energy of the emitted nuclei).