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When a group of scientists claimed they had achieved nuclear fusion, the discovery became one of the most controversial of the 20th century. What is fusion, and what role does heat play in it?Key facts
- Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion both release huge amounts of energy.
- Nuclear fusion requires extraordinary amounts of heat to occur.
- It was claimed in the 1980s that cold fusion had been achieved in a test tube.
- There is no evidence that cold fusion works, and hot fusion is still the only accepted method.
Transcript
Nuclear fission is the process whereby atoms are split within a nuclear reactor to release huge amounts of energy.
However, many believe nuclear fusion is the future of energy production.
Fusion involves pushing two nuclei of low mass together to make a heavier one.
A process which, like nuclear fission, releases large amounts …
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