Why Are Elements with Even Numbers of Protons More Abundant

question 48

Multiple Choice

Why are elements with even numbers of protons more abundant, on average, than elements with odd numbers of protons?

• A) Because elements are mainly made in fusion reactions with hydrogen nuclei
• B) Because when elements split in a fission reaction, they prefer to split with all the protons paired
• C) Because elements are mainly made in fusion reactions with helium nuclei
• D) There's no explanation, it's something of a mystery to be explained or it may be a coincidence.

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Definitions:

Correlation Coefficient

A measure that determines the degree to which two variables' movements are associated, ranging from -1 to 1.

Friedman Test

A non-parametric test used to detect differences in treatments across multiple test attempts.

Randomized Block Experiment

An experimental design that groups subjects into blocks based on certain intrinsic characteristics before randomly assigning treatments within each block to account for variability.

Rejection Region

The range of values in a statistical test for which the null hypothesis is rejected.