Final answer:
The conservation laws for nucleons, charge, and the electron family number are upheld in each step of the proton-proton fusion cycle. Each reaction is analyzed individually to confirm that the quantities are conserved, aligning with the fundamental principles of physics regarding conservation in nuclear reactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
To verify that the total number of nucleons, total charge, and electron family number are conserved in the fusion reactions of the proton-proton cycle, we can look at each reaction individually:
1H + 1H → 2H + e+ + ve: Here, we started with 2 nucleons (protons) and end with 2 nucleons (1 proton and 1 neutron in 2H). The total charge starts as +2 (each proton has a +1 charge) and ends as +1 for the 2H and +1 for the positron, totaling +2. Electron family number, represented by the presence of ve (electron neutrino), is conserved with +1 due to the electron neutrino.
1H + 2H → 3He + y: The reaction starts with 3 nucleons (protons) and ends with 3 nucleons within 3He. There are no charge changes, remaining as +2 (1 from 1H and 1 from 2H). Photons (y) have no charge and hence do not affect the conservation of charge.
3He + 3He → 4He + 1H + 1H: The reaction begins and ends with 6 nucleons (2x3He). The total charge is initially +4 (2x +2 from each 3He) and ends up the same (+2 from 4He and +1 from each 1H).
In each step, conservation laws for nucleons, charge, and electron family number are upheld.