Multiple choice

How do we know that fission is not responsible for the Sun's energy?

  1. Fission does not produce enough energy per gram of fuel.

  2. If the process of fission was going on in the Sun, it would explode.

  3. There is not too much fissionable material in the Sun.

  4. If the process of fission was going on in the Sun, the Sun’s mass would increase.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation: Although the energy produced by fission is comparable to what is produced by fusion, the core of the Sun is dominated by hydrogen and at temperatures where hydrogen fusion is possible, so that the dominant source of energy per cubic metre is in fusion rather than the fission due to very low abundance of radioisotopes.