Month: October 2016

Why Doesn’t Earth’s Atmosphere Vanish Into The Vacuum Of Space?

While we can’t see them, the gas and vapour molecules making up the atmosphere all have mass, and as such all feel the gravitational pull of the Earth. They could still escape if they had enough energy – for example, if the Earth was closer to the Sun, and thus hotter. Fortunately, however, our planet …

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Why Do Both Fission And Fusion Release Energy?

Nuclear fission involves splitting atomic nuclei, and is the process used in nuclear power stations. Fusion, as its name suggests, involves fusing nuclei and is the power source of the stars. While both fission and fusion release energy, the process and amount is very different. Fission exploits the instability of nuclei of heavy elements like …

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