Splitting H atom = High energy?

htyj6g9jv1ev6
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Hydrogen Fusion = High energy?

Where does the energy come from when a Hydrogen atom is fused?

Is the energy stored in some part (proton, neutron, electron)?

Thank you if someone can give me some idea about this. I guess it is about the strong nuclear force, but I'd like to know in a bit more detail if possible. :)
 
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htyj6g9jv1ev6 said:
Where does the energy come from when a Hydrogen atom is split?

Is the energy stored in some part (proton, neutron, electron)?

It seems it takes almost no energy to form a Hydrogen atom? Yet, when it breaks apart, it unleashes an untold amount of energy?

Thank you if someone can give me some idea about this. I guess it is about the strong nuclear force, but I'd like to know in a bit more detail if possible. :)

Where exactly did you read about this "hydrogen atom split"?

Typically, it is heavy nuclei, such as uranium, plutonium, etc. that undergoes splitting that releases energy. Light nuclei, such as hydrogen, deuterium, etc. fuse (i.e. undergo fusion) to release energy. To "split" protons (i.e. H atom nucleus) requires external energy from somewhere, such as that done at the LHC and the Tevatron. In other words, it takes energy to do this, not energy from the nuclei themselves.

I'm guessing there's a considerable level of confusion here that resulted in this question.

Zz.
 
ZapperZ said:
Where exactly did you read about this "hydrogen atom split"?

Typically, it is heavy nuclei, such as uranium, plutonium, etc. that undergoes splitting that releases energy. Light nuclei, such as hydrogen, deuterium, etc. fuse (i.e. undergo fusion) to release energy. To "split" protons (i.e. H atom nucleus) requires external energy from somewhere, such as that done at the LHC and the Tevatron. In other words, it takes energy to do this, not energy from the nuclei themselves.

I'm guessing there's a considerable level of confusion here that resulted in this question.

Zz.

Ah yes. I am confused. I saw it on a TV documentary, but I remembered incorrectly.

Maybe my question should be rephrased:
Where does the tremendous energy come from when Hydrogen undergoes nuclear fusion?

I just do not understand how large quantities of energy are produced from this.
 
Take two magnets. Move them near each other. Watch them snap together. Where did the energy for the snap come from? It's not really in magnets themselves, but rather in magnetic field. Something very similar happens in fusion, except the forces involved are strong nuclear forces.
 
htyj6g9jv1ev6 said:
Ah yes. I am confused. I saw it on a TV documentary, but I remembered incorrectly.

Maybe my question should be rephrased:
Where does the tremendous energy come from when Hydrogen undergoes nuclear fusion?

I just do not understand how large quantities of energy are produced from this.

This introductory article on Nuclear Binding Energy should help you out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_binding_energy

.
 
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