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You know how when you burn something you release the energy in the chemical bonds? Fusion and fission are like that but for atoms instead of molecules.
by dsfyu404ed 4y ago
You know how when you burn something you release the energy in the chemical bonds?
Fusion and fission are like that but for atoms instead of molecules.
- jameshart 4y agoExcept… chemical bonds don’t ‘store’ energy. Molecules are a low energy configuration. It takes energy to rip them apart! But, O2 molecules, with their double bond, don’t take much energy to break apart. If they do, and then pair up with say a bunch of Hydrogen and Carbon atoms that were nearby in some long chain or something, they form bonds that are stronger - that take more energy to break - and you end up with some leftover energy. Water and CO2 molecules are an even lower energy configuration. but the extra energy you get wasn’t exactly ‘in’ the oxygen bond though - any more than when you have a ball at the top of a hill it has potential energy ‘in’ it.
- dsfyu404ed 4y agoThere's a fundamental tradeoff between technical precision and explaining things in a way that's relatable to simpler stuff. Deal. With. It.
- davrosthedalek 4y agoNot if the original description is exactly the opposite of what happens. You get energy out by making stronger bonds.
- m55au 4y agoStronger bonds by definition are lower energy bonds. So you get energy out by making the total bond energy go lower or "releasing it".