Question

Both fusion and fission are nuclear reactions. Why is a very high temperature required for fusion, but not for fission?

a) Fusion requires overcoming electrostatic repulsion; fission involves weak nuclear force.
b) Fusion involves weak nuclear force; fission requires overcoming electrostatic repulsion.
c) Fusion involves overcoming electrostatic repulsion; fission involves the strong nuclear force.
d) Fusion involves the strong nuclear force; fission requires overcoming electrostatic repulsion.

Answer 1

High temperatures are required for nuclear fusion because it involves overcoming the electrostatic repulsion between positively charged nuclei, whereas nuclear fission occurs when a neutron collides with a heavy nucleus and does not require overcoming such a repulsive force.

The correct answer is C.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question revolves around why nuclear fusion requires very high temperatures, while nuclear fission does not. The answer is that nuclear fusion requires the overcoming of electrostatic repulsion between positively charged atomic nuclei. In contrast, nuclear fission involves the division of a heavy nucleus into smaller nuclei and does not require overcoming this intense electrostatic force.

For fusion to occur, the positive nuclei must come close enough to each other to allow the strong nuclear force to take over and bind them together, overcoming their natural repulsion. This requires a significant amount of kinetic energy, typically achieved at extreme temperatures found in stellar cores or thermonuclear devices.

On the other hand, nuclear fission occurs when a neutron collides with a heavy nucleus, causing it to become unstable and split into smaller parts without the need for such temperatures.