What percentage of the original hydrogen mass is released as energy during fusion?
Answer
0.7 percent
When four hydrogen nuclei fuse to create one helium nucleus, the resulting helium atom has slightly less mass than the four individual hydrogen protons that started the process. The difference is approximately 0.7 percent of the original mass. This missing mass is not actually lost; rather, it is transformed directly into energy in the form of light and heat. This tiny fraction of mass, when multiplied by the speed of light squared, results in the massive amount of energy that allows the Sun to radiate its power throughout the solar system.
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