Fusion
For centuries, humankind has looked at the stars, and for just as many years humankind has tried to explain the existence of those very same stars. Were they holes in an enormous canvas that covered the earth? Were they fire-flies that could only be seen when the Apollo had parked his chariot for the night?
There seemed to be as many explanations for the stars as there were stars themselves. Then one day an individual named Galileo Galilei made an astounding discovery: the stars were replicas of our own sun, only so far away that they seemed as large as pin pricks to the naked eye. This in turn gave rise to many more questions. What keeps the stars burning? Have they always been glowing, or are they born like humans, and thus will they die? The answers to all these questions can be summed up in two words; stellar fusion. Therefore one can begin to understand the stars by understanding what fusion is, how it affects the life of a star, and what happens to a star when fusion can no longer occur. The first question one must ask is, "What is fusion?" One simple way of explaining it is taking two balls of clay and mashing them into one, creating a new, larger particle from the two. Now replace those balls of clay with sub-atomic particles, and when they meld, release an enormous amount of energy. This is fusion. There is currently three known variations of fusion: the proton-proton reaction (Figure 1.1), the carbon cycle (Figure 1.2), and the triple-alpha process (Figure 1.3). In the proton-proton reaction, a proton (the positively charged nucleus of a hydrogen atom) is forced so close to another proton (within a tenth of a trillionth of an inch) that a short range nuclear force known as the strong force takes over and forces the two protons to bond together (1). One proton then decays into a neutron (a particle with the same mass as a proton, but with no charge), a positron (a positively charged particle with almost no mass), and a neutrino (a particle with almost no mass, and no charge). The neutrino and positron then radiate off, releasing heat energy. The remaining particle is known as a deuteron, or the nucleus of the hydrogen isotope deuterium. This deuteron is then fused with another proton, creating a helium isotope (2). Then two helium isotopes fuse, creating a helium nucleus and releasing two protons, which facilitate the chain react...
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...sipates all of the surrounding layers, leaving a small dense sphere composed of neutrons which is known as a neutron star. This final explosion can be seen for thousands of years. Most remain neutrino stars , but if the core had more than three solar masses, it’s gravity continues to collapse it, condensing the star into a singularity, or point of infinite mass and density. The gravity of this singularity is so great that even light cannot escape. This is what is known as a black hole. Through examining the above circumstances, one can now understand what solar fusion is, and how a star is directly connected to it. And yet one must take the information with a grain of salt. Scientists have only determined these facts from the information they now have. Everyday new things are discovered that may discredit all we believe to be fact. One can only hope that one day we as a people can learn enough to prove once and for all the exact nature of the universe. Stellar Fusion
~ The Cosmic Ballet ~
Dylan Richards Chemistry 30 Mr. Hartley October 20, 1996
Bibliography
Time - Life Editors, Voyage Through the Universe - Stars. Time - Life Books Inc.,
1990
One factor of the freshman 15 is the student’s living environment. Students living on campus in residence halls are more prone to weight gain than students living at home with their parents or off campus (Provencher et al., 2009). This is due to the availability of food on campus at various universities that studies were held. While students living at home with their parents often have home cooked meals, often dining halls in college campuses serve food with an all-you-can eat buffet style, where students are free to eat as much as they like. Students living away from ...
In a fusion, two atoms’ nuclei join to create a much heavier nucleus.1 The two atoms collide and together make a new atom while releasing neutrons in the form of energy. Imagine this as two cars in a head-on collision. When they collide, they stick together (not forming a new atom like in nuclear fusion, but let’s pretend,) and when they crash, some of the bumper flies off. The atoms collide and neutrons, like the bumper, fly off in the form of energy.
Second, the potential amount of energy produced by fusion can greatly outweigh the fission. Initially, there are some disadvantages to fusion. The time and money required to develop technology needed to initiate, contain, and sustain a profitable fusion reaction is costly, but the development is still in its early stages and will continue to advance through the next century. Fission readily creates a chain reaction which must be slowed through use of a moderator to avoid core meltdown, while fusion can only be accomplished at temperatures similar to the centre of stars, about 100 million degrees celsius. The components used in fusion exist in the form of plasma where atoms are divided into electrons and nuclei.
Experts who study the concept of the “Freshman 15” are deeply divided in their findings. Some downplay the significance of the problem of freshman weight gain, basing their findings only on the average weight gain among college students. In a study done by the Journal of American College Health, found that of the 59 percent of students who gained weight the average increase was only 4.6 pounds. They concluded their study by stating that they believed the Freshman 15 is a myth, based upon that premise (Graham, and Jones). The truth is that fifty-nine percent of the students studied did gain weight, and not all students are going to gain exactly fifteen pounds. Other experts do however believe that weight gain among college freshman is a very serious problem. Registered dietitian Ann Selkowitz Litt recently authored, “The College Students Guide to Eating Well on Campus,” which is designed to help college students make the right eating choices. On an online chat with several college students on USA Today’s website she stated that “College students now are gaining the "freshman 20" or "freshman 25.” She blames the growing problem on erratic eating habits, the drinking large quantities of alcoh...
...leted of its nuclear fuel and lost its outer layers. When a small to medium (less than 10 solar masses) main-sequence star begins to run out of fuel in its core, the core will begin to collapse where hydrogen on the edges of the collapsed core can be compressed and heated (Chandra 2012). The nuclear fusion of this new hydrogen will create a new gush of power that will make the outer layers of the star to expand out; this is known as the red giant phase. In the red giant phase over millions of years, all of the stars energy supplies are used up leaving behind a hot core that is still surrounded by the expanded outer layers. The outer layers are eventually expelled by stellar winds which end up creating a planetary nebula and the hot core left behind forms a white dwarf star where the pull of gravity is supported by degeneracy pressure (p. 538 Bennett en al. 2013).
King Hamlet 's ghosts brief appearances causes Prince Hamlet to act and make decisions according to what he has been instructed to do by the afterlife form of his father. In the
Augustus Caesar spent his time as ruler making Rome a peaceful place. He died on August 19, 14 A.D in Nola, Italy. His last words to his subjects was “ I found Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble,” but to his friends he said “Have I played the part well? Then applaud me as I exit.” Soon after that the Roman Senate officially declared their departed emperor, to be a god.
After Augustus's death, his successors had varying degrees of effectiveness and popularity. Caligula – bloodthirsty and mentally unstable Claudius – conqueror of Britannia, and Nero – uninhibited spender and disinterested ruler, all were in Augustus's dynasty. After Nero's suicide in the face of assassination in 68 c.e., the principate was held by four different Emperors in the span of 18 months.
Because one of the requirements for a black hole is a dense mass, it is only natural that they come from the death of a star. Stars go through a process called nuclear fusion that is what causes energy to be produced which results in light. The process of nuclear fusion uses hydrogen as fuel to keep the stars f...
A well balanced diet is the cornerstone to a healthy lifestyle, yet many college students believe they don’t have the time or money to eat healthy meals on a regular basis. This belief often drives students to choose the cheapest and quickest food options available, these junk foods generally offer little to no nutrition (Miller). Many students also end up gaining weight over the course of their college years, because the majority of the foods they consume are high in empty calories and fats (Miller). There are many ways to improve a person’s diet, most of which require little effort and less money than one would expect. One of these options is making sure to drink a large amount of water, which “can help boost … concentration as well as keep you from overeating” (101 Health). Another way to maintain a good diet is remembering not to “skip meals,” eating three meals a day is good for a person’s health, furthermore it’s suggested that you partake in healthy snacks throughout the day ...
The size of this depends on the mass of the object and the size of the
The Big Bang, the alpha of existence for the building blocks of stars, happened approximately fourteen billion years ago. The elements produced by the big bang consisted of hydrogen and helium with trace amounts of lithium. Hydrogen and helium are the essential structure which build stars. Within these early stars, heavier elements were slowly formed through a process known as nucleosynthesis. Nucleosythesis is the process of creating new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons. As the stars expel their contents, be it going supernova, solar winds, or solar explosions, these heavier elements along with other “star stuff” are ejected into the interstellar medium where they will later be recycled into another star. This physical process of galactic recycling is how or solar system's mass came to contain 2% of these heavier elements.
The Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, was a time of great prosperity for all people under Rome’s rule. Roman citizens enjoyed the spectacles of the gladiators in the coliseum and the comedies performed at the many theatres. The Romans are attributed with the development of concrete, which enabled them to build large structures such as aqueducts. As Rome grew into the primary world leader, it’s Republican government was falling apart. The Senate was ineffective because it had no control of the vast armies that provided power. Conservative Romans who believed strongly in the Republic would immediately target a strong general who took sole control. Rome was in need of a solitary, powerful leader. Octavian skillfully turned himself into an emperor without suffering the fate of his great-uncle, Caesar. He controlled the army, and managed to please the masses. Once in the position of power, he changed the government not only to benefit himself, but also to benefit the Empire and ultimately the people. This structure was so strong, that it could survive through weak emperors such as Caligula and Nero and major problems like who the next emperor should be. Octavian was so influential that eventually the Romans did not care that they were no longer a Republic. They knew that with Octavian, they could become the greatest empire in...
Nuclear fusion occurs when two atomic nuclei collide with enough energy to bind together to form one nucleus. Nuclear fusion occurs in the core of our sun, and is the source of its tremendous heat. In the sun hydrogen nuclei, single protons, fuse together and form a new nucleus. In the conversion, a small amount of mass is converted into energy. It is this energy that heats the sun.
In order to maintain the status and level of emperor, Augustus employed a hard program that would include all aspect of life in his emperor. This program aimed at achieving a long lasting peace and stability in Roman emperor. He ensured that economic, political and religious life of his people was taken care of and that they were free from manipulation of any kind. He ensured that the Roman Empire under his leadership reigned with absolute power from 27 BC to 14 AD. During his reign, political, economic and social stability of the ancient Rome was re-established. In addition to the re-establishment of ancient Rome, he launched a 200 years of prosperity among the Roman emperor citizens. Cultural diversity was enhanced during his reign and hence the emperor fully enjoyed the fruitful cohabitation among the citizens. In order to be remembered as a potent and dominant leader of his time, Augustus instructed the set up of two great pillars at Rome and be recorded in books.