Question by : Why does nuclear fission AND fusion release energy?
The Sun undergoes nuclear fusion, combining hydrogen to form helium and so on, but it also releases light energy in the process. Nuclear fission (splitting the atom), however, also releases light and heat energy. How does this work? I would think that nuclear fusion would take IN energy in order to fuse together the nucleuses of atoms. And then when an atom splits, energy would be released because energy is stored to keep the bond between nuclear particles. So why would both processes release energy?
Best answer:
Answer by Roger S
In both cases the mass of the objects after the reaction is less than before the reaction. The lost mass has been converted into energy in the form of electromagnetic waves.
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