Which change will always take place in nuclear fusion?
• The total charge will be less than before the fusion took place
• A nucleus with a greater mass than any of the reactants will be produced
• The total charge will be greater than before the fusion took place
• A nucleus with a smaller mass than any of the reactants will be produced
A nucleus with a smaller mass than any of the reactants will be produced.
In nuclear fusion, two or more atomic nuclei come together to form a single, more massive nucleus. Therefore, the correct answer is:
• A nucleus with a greater mass than any of the reactants will be produced
In nuclear fusion, two atomic nuclei come together to form a single, heavier nucleus. This process releases a large amount of energy. To determine which change will always take place in nuclear fusion, let's consider the law of conservation of mass and charge.
The law of conservation of mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical or physical process. Since nuclear fusion involves combining atomic nuclei, it means that the total mass before and after fusion must remain the same. Therefore, we can conclude that the option "A nucleus with a greater mass than any of the reactants will be produced" is incorrect.
Now, let's consider the law of conservation of charge. This law states that the total charge before and after a chemical or physical process must remain the same. In the case of nuclear fusion, the atomic nuclei involved are positively charged, so the total charge before and after fusion should continue to be positive.
From this information, we can conclude that the correct option is "The total charge will be greater than before the fusion took place." This is because the combined charge of the reactant nuclei will be added together to form the charge of the product nucleus, resulting in a greater total charge.
Therefore, the correct answer is that in nuclear fusion, the total charge will be greater than before the fusion took place.