The correct answer is B. Two separate nuclei form one nucleus.

Nuclear fusion is a process where two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. This is the process that powers the sun and the stars. It is also a potential source of safe, clean, and abundant energy on Earth.

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of what happens in nuclear fusion:

1. Two light atomic nuclei come close together. This is difficult to achieve because the positively charged nuclei repel each other. High temperatures and pressures are needed to overcome this repulsion.

2. Once the nuclei are close enough, the strong nuclear force, which is attractive at very short distances, pulls them together.

3. The two nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. This process releases a large amount of energy because the mass of the resulting nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of the original nuclei.

4. The missing mass has been converted into energy, according to Einstein's equation E=mc^2. This is the energy that is released in the fusion process.

So, options A, C, and D are not correct. Nuclear fusion does not involve nuclei spontaneously breaking down (that's nuclear fission), missing mass is not added back to a nucleus (it's converted into energy), and isotopes are not made from gamma rays (they are versions of elements with different numbers of neutrons).

Question

The correct answer is B. Two separate nuclei form one nucleus.

Nuclear fusion is a process where two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. This is the process that powers the sun and the stars. It is also a potential source of safe, clean, and abundant energy on Earth.

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of what happens in nuclear fusion:

1. Two light atomic nuclei come close together. This is difficult to achieve because the positively charged nuclei repel each other. High temperatures and pressures are needed to overcome this repulsion.

2. Once the nuclei are close enough, the strong nuclear force, which is attractive at very short distances, pulls them together.

3. The two nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. This process releases a large amount of energy because the mass of the resulting nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of the original nuclei.

4. The missing mass has been converted into energy, according to Einstein's equation E=mc^2. This is the energy that is released in the fusion process.

So, options A, C, and D are not correct. Nuclear fusion does not involve nuclei spontaneously breaking down (that's nuclear fission), missing mass is not added back to a nucleus (it's converted into energy), and isotopes are not made from gamma rays (they are versions of elements with different numbers of neutrons).

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