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16.6: Key Terms

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    66607
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    conduction
    process by which heat is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature between adjoining regions caused by atomic or molecular collisions
    convection
    movement caused within a gas or liquid by the tendency of hotter, and therefore less dense material, to rise and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat
    fission
    breaking up of heavier atomic nuclei into lighter ones
    fusion
    building up of heavier atomic nuclei from lighter ones
    helioseismology
    study of pulsations or oscillations of the Sun in order to determine the characteristics of the solar interior
    hydrostatic equilibrium
    balance between the weights of various layers, as in a star or Earth’s atmosphere, and the pressures that support them
    neutrino
    fundamental particle that has no charge and a mass that is tiny relative to an electron; it rarely interacts with ordinary matter and comes in three different types
    positron
    particle with the same mass as an electron, but positively charged
    proton-proton chain
    series of thermonuclear reactions by which nuclei of hydrogen are built up into nuclei of helium
    radiation
    emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or photons also the transmitted energy itself

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