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A deuterium nucleus and a tritium nucleus fuse together to form a helium nucleus and a particle X - AQA - A-Level Physics - Question 30 - 2019 - Paper 2
Question 30
A deuterium nucleus and a tritium nucleus fuse together to form a helium nucleus and a particle X. The equation for this process is: $$ \begin{align*} _{1}^{2}H + _... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A deuterium nucleus and a tritium nucleus fuse together to form a helium nucleus and a particle X - AQA - A-Level Physics - Question 30 - 2019 - Paper 2
Step 1
What is X?
Answer
To identify particle X in the fusion process of a deuterium nucleus and a tritium nucleus, we first analyze the nuclear reaction. The given equation represents the fusion of a deuterium ( ) and a tritium nucleus ( ) to produce a helium nucleus ( ) and a particle X.
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Conservation of Nucleons: In nuclear reactions, the total number of nucleons (protons + neutrons) must be conserved. The deuterium nucleus has 2 nucleons and the tritium nucleus has 3 nucleons, giving a total of 5 nucleons on the left side. The helium nucleus has 4 nucleons, therefore:
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Identifying X: Since X represents a single nucleon, it can either be a proton or a neutron. Looking at the options:
- A. electron (not a nucleon)
- B. neutron (can be a valid option)
- C. positron (not a nucleon)
- D. proton (another valid option)
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Conclusion: Given that the reaction usually indicates the release of a proton in fusion reactions involving light nuclei, the most appropriate choice is D. proton. Therefore, X is identified as a proton.