For example, if I split a Helium atom will I get the same amount of energy as when I fuse Hydrogen into Helium? If there is a difference, what will be the difference (in general not according to Helium/Hydrogen), and why?
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2 Answers
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Splitting a helium atom requires energy, whereas fusing two deuterium atoms into helium liberates energy.
As it can be seen from this graph:
the energies you were talking about will be the same (since they involve the same number of nucleons), but the sign will be different. Note that for small nuclei, energy is released by fusing them, while for large nuclei it is released by splitting them.
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$\begingroup$ I understand that fusion beyond iron consumes more energy than provided, but does it also say that fission is not possible for elements below iron? Furthermore, what causes the slight loss of energy output after Helium, Carbon, and Oxygen? $\endgroup$– Jimmy G.Mar 17, 2015 at 5:18
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$\begingroup$ Fission below iron is possible, but consumes energy rather than releasing it. Supernovae for example are able to generate such large amounts of energy to fuse nuclei into larger ones (that is why we have heavy elements in the universe now). I can only comment on the general trend in that graph, I unfortunately dont know enough about those spikes. $\endgroup$– DK2AXMar 17, 2015 at 8:13
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The energy generated during fusion or fission can be seen with this graph:
When a light atom is made into a heavier one by adding nucleons, it will lead to a greater output in energy; but when you reach Iron you can no longer gain energy through fusion. For heavier elements, you begin to lose energy when you fuse them and the way to gain energy is to split them apart.
As you can see on the graph, fusion is generally more efficient than fission.
