Asked by caleb
Which elements can only a supernova create? Select all that apply.
nickel
carbon
gold
uranium
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Gold and uranium.
Reason: elements heavier than iron (like gold and uranium) require rapid neutron-capture (r-process) in explosive/high-neutron-flux events (traditionally core-collapse supernovae, and also neutron-star mergers). Carbon is made by normal stellar fusion (triple‑alpha in red giants) and nickel can be made in stellar cores and during supernovae, so they are not produced only by supernovae.
Reason: elements heavier than iron (like gold and uranium) require rapid neutron-capture (r-process) in explosive/high-neutron-flux events (traditionally core-collapse supernovae, and also neutron-star mergers). Carbon is made by normal stellar fusion (triple‑alpha in red giants) and nickel can be made in stellar cores and during supernovae, so they are not produced only by supernovae.
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