Understanding Our Universe
3rd Edition
ISBN: 9780393614428
Author: PALEN, Stacy, Kay, Laura, Blumenthal, George (george Ray)
Publisher: W.w. Norton & Company,
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Question
Chapter 11, Problem 31QAP
To determine
The reason why fission is not the source of power in the Sun today.
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The sun’s energy comes from nuclear reactions that fuse lighter nuclei into heavier ones, releasing energy in the process. The solar fusion process begins when two protons (the nuclei of hydrogen atoms) merge to produce a deuterium nucleus. Deuterium is the “heavy” isotope of hydrogen, with a nucleus consisting of a proton and a neutron. To become deuterium, one of the protons that fused has to turn into a neutron. Our interest for now lies not with the nuclear physics but with the conditions that allow fusion to occur. Before two protons can fuse, they must come into contact. However, the energy required to bring two protons into contact is considerable because the electric potential energy of the two protons increases rapidly as they approach each other. Fusion occurs in the core of the sun because the ultra-high temperature there gives the protons the kinetic energy they need to come together.
a. A proton…
Explain in detail the
carbon-nitrogen-oxygen fusion
chain that occurs in the center of
the Sun
The Sun is currently about 4.4 billion years old. How much longer does it have before it runs out of Hydrogen? Answer in billions of years.
Chapter 11 Solutions
Understanding Our Universe
Ch. 11.1 - Prob. 11.1CYUCh. 11.2 - Prob. 11.2CYUCh. 11.3 - Prob. 11.3CYUCh. 11.4 - Prob. 11.4CYUCh. 11 - Prob. 1QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 2QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 3QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 4QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 5QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 6QAP
Ch. 11 - Prob. 7QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 8QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 9QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 10QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 11QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 12QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 13QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 14QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 15QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 16QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 17QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 18QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 19QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 20QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 21QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 22QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 23QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 24QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 25QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 26QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 27QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 28QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 29QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 30QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 31QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 32QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 33QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 34QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 35QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 36QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 37QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 38QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 39QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 40QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 41QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 42QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 43QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 44QAPCh. 11 - Prob. 45QAP
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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
- Explain how we know that the Sun’s energy is not supplied either by chemical burning, as in fires here on Earth, or by gravitational contraction (shrinking).arrow_forwardFor several hundred years, astronomers have kept track of the number of solar flares, or sunspots which occur on the surface of the sun. The number of sunspots counted varies periodically from a minimum of about 10 per year to a maximum of about 110 per year. Between the maximum that occurred in the years 1750 and 1948, there were 18 completed cycles. A.) What is the period of the sunspot cycle? B.) Assume that the number of sunspots varies sinusoidally with the year. Sketch a graph of two sun spot cycles, starting in 1948. C.) Write an equation expressing the number of sunspots per year in terms of the year. D.) what is the first year after 2000 in which the number of sunspots will be about 35? A maximum?arrow_forwardNow suppose that all of the hydrogen atoms in the Sun were converted into helium. How much total energy would be produced? (To calculate the answer, you will have to estimate how many hydrogen atoms are in the Sun. This will give you good practice with scientific notation, since the numbers involved are very large! See Appendix C for a review of scientific notation.)arrow_forward
- Why was the detection of solar neutrinos important? a) They have been suggested as an important source of solar energy. b) They provide direct evidence for solar oscillations. c) The provide direct evidence for the proton-proton chain. Where does nuclear energy production (fusion) occur in the Sun? a) In the nuclear zone b) In all layers of the Sun c) In the photosphere d) In the corearrow_forwardWhat is the name of the specific nuclear fusion process that dominates energy production in the core of the Sun and gives a brief description of how it works. What I'm looking for in this description is what is the basic premise behind nuclear fusion and what is going into this specific fusion reaction and what comes out of it.arrow_forwardWhy does nuclear fusion only take place in the Sun’s core?arrow_forward
- Describe the process as a photon (energy) created in the Sun's core makes its way out into space. Make sure to consider the different layers that the photon must pass through to reach the Sun's surface.arrow_forward1. The mass of the Sun is about 2x10³0 kg. The Sun was about 72% hydrogen when it first formed. About 11% of the total amount of the Sun's hydrogen is available for fusion within the Sun's core. [3 points] (a) What is the total mass of hydrogen available for fusion, in kg? (b) The Sun fuses about 600 billion kg of hydrogen each second. Calculate how long the Sun's initial supply of hydrogen can last. Give your answer in both seconds and years. Hint: use the result you calculated in part (a). (c) We know that our Solar System is about 4.5 billion years old. Using your calculation above, how much longer do we have until the Sun runs out of hydrogen?arrow_forward
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