Energy resources
There are two
ways to release the
energy in atoms.
One of those ways
is nuclear fission.
During fission, the
centers of atoms are
split apart. Fission is
used in all nuclear power plants today.
It produces a lot of energy. But it also
leaves behind dangerous waste.
The other way is nuclear fusion.
With fusion, the centers of atoms are
joined together. Fusion is how the Sun
and most other stars produce their
heat and light. They fuse the centers
of hydrogen atoms to make helium.
Scientists are exploring two ways
of controlling fusion. In one of the
ways, hydrogen gas is heated to a very
high temperature. It gets about six
times hotter than the center of the Sun.
Fission
Uranium atom Two smaller nuclei
nucleus
Proton
Energy
© epa/Corbis
© iStockphoto.com/WSFurlan
Fission and Fusion
The inside of a fusion reactor, called a tokamak.
The gas is forced to stay in one place.
The centers of the atoms crash together
and fuse.
In the other way, lasers blast a tiny
piece of frozen hydrogen. It breaks
into many small pieces. This step
squeezes the hydrogen and makes
it super hot. The pressure and heat
fuse the centers of the atoms together.
If scientists could control fusion,
it would be a clean and safe energy
source. They hope that at least one
of the methods will work. If it does,
fusion might become the world’s top
source of energy.
Neutron
© Learning A-Z
Fusion
One helium
nucleus
Nuclei of two
hydrogen atoms
Proton
Neutron
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
Energy
oW
hat two methods are scientists using
in their fusion research?
oW
hy might nuclear fusion be better for
the environment than nuclear fission?
www.sciencea-z.com