Fusion+-+The+Truth+Revealed+in+Relation+to+Spiderman+2

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Fusion - The Truth Revealed in Relation to Spiderman 2**__ By: Stephanie Schwartz, Lee Foster, and Rachel Myers

1. ** What is Fusion? ** Fusion is t he process that powers the sun and the stars. It is the reaction in which two atoms of hydrogen combine together, or fuse, to form an atom of helium.  2. ** How does Fusion occur? What is the “source fuel” for fusion? ** The atoms of hydrogen must be heated to very high temperatures (100 million degrees) so they are ionized (forming a plasma) and have sufficient energy to fuse, and then be held together/confined long enough for fusion to occur.  The easiest fusion reaction to make happen is combining deuterium with tritium to make helium and a neutron. Deuterium is plentifully available in ordinary water. Tritium can be produced by combining the fusion neutron with the abundant light metal lithium. Thus fusion has the potential to be an inexhaustible source of energy.  3. ** What type of device would it take to create a fusion reaction? ** A laser beam would be the best device to use to be able to quickly heat the atoms and cause fusion before the atoms get a chance to fly apart. Spiderman 2, for the most part, was an ACCURATE portrayal of fusion. It showed that fusion is made using tritium, it is like a reaction similar to the fusion reactions that occur on the sun and stars, it takes a strong magnetic field to impose a fusion reaction, and it reaches high temperatures and no human could touch a fusion reaction or get too close with their bare skin. The INACCURATENESS of the portrayal of fusion in Spiderman 2 was the over exaggeration that a fusion reaction would increase to that great of size and attract metal items, jewelry, etc. from close and far away.
 * 4. **** Where is Fusion occurring? Have humans produced fusion reactions? ** Fusion is occurring on the sun and stars, where it is hot enough to create fusion reactions. Humans have not produced fusion reactions yet.
 * 5. **** Why is Fusion so important? Why would Dr. Octavius try to create a fusion reaction? ** Fusion is important because it is a great source of energy. Dr. Octavius tried to create a fusion reaction because he would become rich and help mankind since fusion is “safe, renewable, and cheap electricity for everyone,” as said by Dr. Octavius in Spiderman 2.
 * 6. **** Would a fusion reaction that’s out of control like the movie have the ability to “blow everything up”? ** ** What’s the difference between fusion and an “atomic” bomb? ** That kind of fusion reaction would not have the ability to “blow everything up” since the things that are only affected are the things within the reaction space. The difference between fusion and an “atomic bomb” is that an atomic bomb is a nuclear weapon in which enormous energy is released by nuclear FISSION – splitting of the nucleus into two nuclei. Fusion gains energy through nuclear FUSION – the combination of two atoms to create a greater mass and more neutrons and energy.

**Sources** :

[|**http://fusioned.gat.com/what_is_fusion.html**]


 * EW.com **