| gothweb |
08-03-2002 06:20 PM |
An atomic nucleus is made up of a certain numbers of protons and neutrons. Each element is associated with one number of protons... So Hydrogen is anything with one Proton in each nucleus, Helium is anything with two, and so on.
Nuclear fusion is when you put two neclei together and get one. It takes an incredible amount of force to get them past the atomic forces that push them apart. If you manage, a lot of energy is released. Not a ton from one atom, but... Generally, if you create a chain reaction, you get out more than you put in-- too much to do anything with. It destroys the apparatus, and probaly you. Like standing on the sun.
Nuclear fission is when you do the opposite... Get two nuclei from one. This happens naturally, and is what happens when some elements deyay and release radiation. Generally, you get out less than you put in. However, some kinds of nuclei are handy for this... When you split one nucleus, it emits a particle that can set off another nucleus. Get this going past a certain point, and it feeds itself and releases a shit load of energy. In the case of some elements (Uranium isotopes, I believe) a few sticks of dynamite is enough to get it started, provided you have the critical mass of the element to be split. Voila... Atomic bomb. More controlled reactions are how we get nuclear power and expirmental reactors to create new elements.
There is no problem uniting or dividing nuclear particles. For one thing, they are not fundamental-- it turns out there are things they are made up of, too. However, even assuming they were, why couldn't you stick two of them together? You don't get a bigger proton, you get a different element. After all, having more of them in one place is what gives us different elements.
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