Practice IB Physics Topic E.5 Fusion and Stars with authentic exam-style questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank focuses on the exact syllabus content for E.5 Fusion and Stars and mirrors Paper 1A, 1B, 2 style where relevant.
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Which of the following best describes a main sequence star?
Nuclear fusion occurs in stars such as the Sun.
(a) the term “nuclear fusion”.
(b) the condition necessary for fusion to occur.
(c) one element produced by fusion in the Sun.
(d) the role of fusion in the Sun.
Which condition is necessary for nuclear fusion to occur in the core of a star?
Fusion is considered a potential future energy source on Earth.
(a) one technological challenge in achieving fusion on Earth.
(b) why confinement is necessary for fusion reactors.
(c) one advantage and one disadvantage of fusion over fission.
In the core of stars like the Sun, fusion reactions produce large quantities of energy and also release subatomic particles called neutrinos.
(a) what neutrinos are.
(b) the role of neutrinos in nuclear fusion reactions occurring in stars.
(c) why neutrinos are able to escape the core of the Sun while photons take thousands of years.
(d) how detecting solar neutrinos on Earth supports our understanding of fusion in the Sun.
A star fusing hydrogen in its core
A star that has exhausted all its fuel
A collapsed star emitting only neutrinos
A star composed mainly of heavy elements
(e) one challenge and one solution associated with neutrino detection on Earth.
A high neutron absorption cross-section for the fuel
High plasma density only, even at low temperature
High temperature and pressure to overcome Coulomb repulsion
A low temperature to reduce Coulomb repulsion between nuclei
