Suppose that our Sun, of mass 1.99 x 1030 kg, consists entirely of hydrogen and that the dominant energy-releasing fusion reaction 4 H →→He + 2e + 2v + y involves the "burning" of hydrogen into helium with a Q-value of 26.73 MeV. If the total power output of the Sun is assumed to remain constant at 3.9 x 1026 W, estimate the number of years for all of the hydrogen to be used up.
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear fission is a type of nuclear reaction in which heavier nuclei split into lighter nuclei by releasing a large quantity of energy. The elements like uranium-235 and plutonium-239 isotope undergo nuclear fission releasing energy. When nuclei undergo fission, some quantity of mass is lost. The lost mass is converted to nuclear energy. Nuclear fission reaction is used in nuclear power plants and atomic bombs. In nuclear power plants, nuclear reactors are used to generate electricity.
Endothermic Nuclear Reaction
A nuclear reaction can be described as a process where two atoms, or two nuclei or nucleus and subatomic particles such as a proton, neutron interact together, and a large amount of energy is produced and new elements are also produced.
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