Fusion and the Sun

• Sun transforms 5 TONS of matter into energy EVERY SECOND!

  • Over lifetime of sun, 1/10 of Sun’s H is converted to He, so 0.07% of Sun’s mass will keep it shining 10 billion years

• Why isn’t fusion happening all the time?

  • ONLY happens when Temp high enough to overcome electrostatic repulsion between +ve ions
  • DEMO

• NOT a chemical reaction! TRANSFORMS the elements.

Notes: