A nuclear fusion reaction in the Sun converts 4 H nuclei to 1 He-4 nucleus. Each Hydrogen nuclei is 1.007825u (an atomic mass unit); one Helium nucleus is 4.00268u. What is the mass lost in the process (in u)? What is the % of the original mass?

Write down the equation that determines the energy produced in this process. Calculate the energy created from 1 kilogram of hydrogen fused. (with units kg & m/s, answer will be Joules)

The Sun’s luminosity (or power) is 4 x 10²⁶ Watts (=J/s). How many kilograms of hydrogen must be fused every second to maintain this luminosity? (hint: work backwards from the energy per second to the mass released to the amount of hydrogen required, using the results from the previous question.)

The Sun’s mass is ~2x10³⁰ kg. If 10% of this is Hydrogen available in the core, how long will the Sun be able to continue fusing hydrogen at this rate? This is considered the Sun's "lifetime". If the Sun is 4.6 billion years old (and assuming it's power output is constant), how many years does it have left?

A nuclear power plant converts energy from nuclear fission into electricity with an efficiency of 35.0% (i.e., .35 of every unit of energy from fission creates electricity; the other .65 of every unit of energy is lost in the process). How much mass is destroyed every second to produce a continuous 1000 MW of electric power?

If the total mass of fuel used is 10⁴ kg, how much leftover (waste) fuel is there? Explain why this is problematic for society.

From Table 7.1 in College Physics, the energy released from the nuclear fission of 1.00 kg of uranium is 8.00 x 10¹³ J. What is the mass lost in this process? (hint: see #2 in the previous section) What is the % of the original mass, and how does this compare to fusion (your answer for #1 in the previous section)?

Use of hydrogen fusion to supply energy is a dream that may be realized in the next century. Give three reasons why hydrogen fusion is a better alternative to today's nuclear power generators.

A food calorie is a unit of energy such that 1 food calorie = 4184 J. This means that a person that burns energy with a power of 4184 W would burn one food calorie every second. A more typical human power rate is 90 W (called the basal metabolic rate). At this rate, how many calories are burned per second (or alternatively, how many seconds does it take to burn 1 calorie)?

A person with a basal metabolic rate of 90 W has a continuous (24-hr) average power output, without any physical exertion, of 90 W. If this person consumes 2500 food calories per day and burns 500 calories per day doing additional physical activity, will they gain or lose weight?

Question

A nuclear fusion reaction in the Sun converts 4 H nuclei to 1 He-4 nucleus. Each Hydrogen nuclei is 1.007825u (an atomic mass unit); one Helium nucleus is 4.00268u. What is the mass lost in the process (in u)? What is the % of the original mass?
Write down the equation that determines the energy produced in this process. Calculate the energy created from 1 kilogram of hydrogen fused. (with units kg & m/s, answer will be Joules)
The Sun’s luminosity (or power) is 4 x 10²⁶ Watts (=J/s). How many kilograms of hydrogen must be fused every second to maintain this luminosity? (hint: work backwards from the energy per second to the mass released to the amount of hydrogen required, using the results from the previous question.)
The Sun’s mass is ~2x10³⁰ kg. If 10% of this is Hydrogen available in the core, how long will the Sun be able to continue fusing hydrogen at this rate? This is considered the Sun's "lifetime". If the Sun is 4.6 billion years old (and assuming it's power output is constant), how many years does it have left?
A nuclear power plant converts energy from nuclear fission into electricity with an efficiency of 35.0% (i.e., .35 of every unit of energy from fission creates electricity; the other .65 of every unit of energy is lost in the process). How much mass is destroyed every second to produce a continuous 1000 MW of electric power?
If the total mass of fuel used is 10⁴ kg, how much leftover (waste) fuel is there? Explain why this is problematic for society.
From Table 7.1 in College Physics, the energy released from the nuclear fission of 1.00 kg of uranium is 8.00 x 10¹³ J. What is the mass lost in this process? (hint: see #2 in the previous section) What is the % of the original mass, and how does this compare to fusion (your answer for #1 in the previous section)?
Use of hydrogen fusion to supply energy is a dream that may be realized in the next century. Give three reasons why hydrogen fusion is a better alternative to today's nuclear power generators.
A food calorie is a unit of energy such that 1 food calorie = 4184 J. This means that a person that burns energy with a power of 4184 W would burn one food calorie every second. A more typical human power rate is 90 W (called the basal metabolic rate). At this rate, how many calories are burned per second (or alternatively, how many seconds does it take to burn 1 calorie)?
A person with a basal metabolic rate of 90 W has a continuous (24-hr) average power output, without any physical exertion, of 90 W. If this person consumes 2500 food calories per day and burns 500 calories per day doing additional physical activity, will they gain or lose weight?

Accepted Answer

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