The last stage in the fusion of hydrogen to form helium in the Sun involves the formation of an alpha particle (4He) from two 3He nuclei:
3He + 3He 4He + p + p
The binding energy for 3He is 2.57 MeV per nucleon and that for 4He is
7.07 MeV per nucleon. Calculate the amount of energy released in this reaction.
Is 12.9 MeV close? Thanks
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