Asked by violet
Why are very high temperatures and pressures required for fusion to occur?
to generate the neutrons that are needed to break the nuclei
to overcome the repulsion between the protons in the nuclei that join
to maintain the proper conditions to keep the chain reaction going
to keep the uranium fuel separate from the control rods
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Correct answer: "to overcome the repulsion between the protons in the nuclei that join."
Explanation: atomic nuclei are positively charged, so they repel each other (Coulomb repulsion). Very high temperatures give nuclei enough kinetic energy to get close despite that repulsion, and very high pressures (or densities) raise the collision rate so fusion reactions actually occur. The other options describe fission processes (neutrons, control rods, chain reactions) and are not why fusion needs extreme T and P.
Explanation: atomic nuclei are positively charged, so they repel each other (Coulomb repulsion). Very high temperatures give nuclei enough kinetic energy to get close despite that repulsion, and very high pressures (or densities) raise the collision rate so fusion reactions actually occur. The other options describe fission processes (neutrons, control rods, chain reactions) and are not why fusion needs extreme T and P.
Submit Your Answer
We prioritize human answers over AI answers.
If you are human, and you can answer this question, please submit your answer.