Skip to content

Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

This category covers the fundamental concepts of nuclear size, density and internal structure. It includes the relationship between mass number and nuclear radius, how nucleons are arranged, and the impact of these properties on nuclear behavior.

30 questions

What is the energy equivalent of \( 0.001 \, \text{kg} \) of matter in Joules? (Given \( c = 3 \times 10^8 \, \text{m/s}

**Nuclear size** order 10⁻¹⁵ m femtometer, atomic size 10⁻¹⁰ m, ratio 10⁵, nucleus contains protons and neutrons bound by strong force, density independent of A indicates incompressibility, R₀ determined from electron scattering experiments. E = m c² . m = 0.001 kg , c² = (3 × 10⁸)² = 9 × 10¹⁶ m²/s² . E = 0.001 × 9 × 10¹⁶ = 9 × 10¹³ J . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation yields 9 × 10¹³ J, consistent with Bohr model and nuclear binding energy systematics.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

What is the binding energy of a nucleus with mass defect \( 0.12 \, \text{u} \)? (Given \( 1 \, \text{u} = 931.5 \, \tex

**Nuclear size** order 10⁻¹⁵ m femtometer, atomic size 10⁻¹⁰ m, ratio 10⁵, nucleus contains protons and neutrons bound by strong force, density independent of A indicates incompressibility, R₀ determined from electron scattering experiments. E_b = Δ M · c² . Δ M = 0.12 u . E_b = 0.12 × 931.5 = 111.78 MeV . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation yields 111.78 MeV, consistent with Bohr model and nuclear binding energy systematics.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

What is the nuclear density of a nucleus with mass \( 8.35 \times 10^{-27} \, \text{kg} \) and radius \( 2.7 \times 10^{

**Nuclear density** nearly constant because R ∝ A^{1/3} so volume ∝ A, mass ∝ A, ratio constant, ~10¹⁷ kg/m³, 10¹⁴ times water density, shows nucleus compact, nuclear force short-range saturated, mass number 16 radius ~3×10⁻¹⁵ m, mass number from radius R=5.4×10⁻¹⁵ m => A=(R/R₀)³=(4.5)³=91. Density = (mass/volume) , Volume = (4/3) π R³ . R³ = (2.7 × 10⁻¹⁵)³ = 1.9683 × 10⁻⁴⁴ m³ . Volume = (4/3) × 3.14 × 1.9683 × 10⁻⁴⁴ ≈ 8.25 × 10⁻⁴⁴ m³ . Density = (8.35 × 10⁻²⁷/8.25 × 10⁻⁴⁴) ≈ 1.01 × 10¹⁷ kg/m³ . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

What is the binding energy of a nucleus with a mass defect of \( 0.09 \, \text{u} \)? (Given \( 1 \, \text{u} = 931.5 \,

**Nuclear radius** R = R₀ A^{1/3}, R₀=1.2×10⁻¹⁵ m, A mass number, for A=16 R=1.2×10⁻¹⁵×2.52=3.02×10⁻¹⁵ m, for A=36 R=1.2×10⁻¹⁵×3.30=3.96×10⁻¹⁵ m, nuclear density ρ = mass/volume = (A×1.66×10⁻²⁷ kg)/(4/3 π R³) ≈2.3×10¹⁷ kg/m³ independent of A, extremely high, mass 3.67×10⁻²⁷ kg radius 2.0×10⁻¹⁵ m gives density =3.67×10⁻²⁷/(4/3 π×8×10⁻⁴⁵)=1.09×10¹⁷ kg/m³. Binding energy = Δ M · c² . Δ M = 0.09 u . E_b = 0.09 × 931.5 = 83.835 MeV ≈ 83.84 MeV . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation yields 83.84 MeV, consistent

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

Why is the nuclear density nearly constant across all nuclei?

**Nuclear size** order 10⁻¹⁵ m femtometer, atomic size 10⁻¹⁰ m, ratio 10⁵, nucleus contains protons and neutrons bound by strong force, density independent of A indicates incompressibility, R₀ determined from electron scattering experiments. The volume of a nucleus is proportional to A (since R ∝ A¹/³ and V ∝ R³ ), and the mass is also proportional to A , making the density (mass/volume) independent of A . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation yields Volume proportional to mass number, consistent with Bohr

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

A nucleus with mass number 50 has a binding energy of \( 425 \, \text{MeV} \). What is its binding energy per nucleon?

**Nuclear density** nearly constant because R ∝ A^{1/3} so volume ∝ A, mass ∝ A, ratio constant, ~10¹⁷ kg/m³, 10¹⁴ times water density, shows nucleus compact, nuclear force short-range saturated, mass number 16 radius ~3×10⁻¹⁵ m, mass number from radius R=5.4×10⁻¹⁵ m => A=(R/R₀)³=(4.5)³=91. Ebₙ = (E_b/A) . E_b = 425 MeV , A = 50 . Ebₙ = (425/50) = 8.5 MeV . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation yields 8.5 MeV, consistent with Bohr model and nuclear binding energy systematics.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

What is the approximate radius of a nucleus with mass number 64? (Given \( R_0 = 1.2 \times 10^{-15} \, \text{m} \))

**Nuclear radius** R = R₀ A^{1/3}, R₀=1.2×10⁻¹⁵ m, A mass number, for A=16 R=1.2×10⁻¹⁵×2.52=3.02×10⁻¹⁵ m, for A=36 R=1.2×10⁻¹⁵×3.30=3.96×10⁻¹⁵ m, nuclear density ρ = mass/volume = (A×1.66×10⁻²⁷ kg)/(4/3 π R³) ≈2.3×10¹⁷ kg/m³ independent of A, extremely high, mass 3.67×10⁻²⁷ kg radius 2.0×10⁻¹⁵ m gives density =3.67×10⁻²⁷/(4/3 π×8×10⁻⁴⁵)=1.09×10¹⁷ kg/m³. The radius of a nucleus is given by R = R₀ A¹/³ , where A = 64 . A¹/³ = 64¹/³ = 4 . R = 1.2 × 10⁻¹⁵ × 4 = 4.8 × 10⁻¹⁵ m . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c²

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

What is the nuclear density of a nucleus with mass \( 1.66 \times 10^{-27} \, \text{kg} \) and radius \( 1.5 \times 10^{

**Nuclear radius** R = R₀ A^{1/3}, R₀=1.2×10⁻¹⁵ m, A mass number, for A=16 R=1.2×10⁻¹⁵×2.52=3.02×10⁻¹⁵ m, for A=36 R=1.2×10⁻¹⁵×3.30=3.96×10⁻¹⁵ m, nuclear density ρ = mass/volume = (A×1.66×10⁻²⁷ kg)/(4/3 π R³) ≈2.3×10¹⁷ kg/m³ independent of A, extremely high, mass 3.67×10⁻²⁷ kg radius 2.0×10⁻¹⁵ m gives density =3.67×10⁻²⁷/(4/3 π×8×10⁻⁴⁵)=1.09×10¹⁷ kg/m³. Density = (mass/volume) , Volume = (4/3) π R³ . R³ = (1.5 × 10⁻¹⁵)³ = 3.375 × 10⁻⁴⁵ m³ . Volume = (4/3) × 3.14 × 3.375 × 10⁻⁴⁵ ≈ 1.41 × 10⁻⁴⁴ m³ . Density = (1.66 × 10⁻²⁷/1.41 × 10⁻⁴⁴) ≈ 1.18 × 10¹⁷ kg/m³ . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀,

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

What is the ratio of nuclear radii of two nuclei with mass numbers 27 and 125?

**Nuclear size** order 10⁻¹⁵ m femtometer, atomic size 10⁻¹⁰ m, ratio 10⁵, nucleus contains protons and neutrons bound by strong force, density independent of A indicates incompressibility, R₀ determined from electron scattering experiments. Radius ratio = (R₁/R₂) = (R₀ A₁¹/³/R₀ A₂¹/³) = ( (A₁/A₂) )¹/³ . A₁ = 27 , A₂ = 125 . (27/125) = 0.216 , (0.216)¹/³ ≈ 0.6 . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation yields 0.6, consistent with Bohr model and nuclear binding energy systematics.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

Which factor primarily determines the nuclear radius?

**Nuclear density** nearly constant because R ∝ A^{1/3} so volume ∝ A, mass ∝ A, ratio constant, ~10¹⁷ kg/m³, 10¹⁴ times water density, shows nucleus compact, nuclear force short-range saturated, mass number 16 radius ~3×10⁻¹⁵ m, mass number from radius R=5.4×10⁻¹⁵ m => A=(R/R₀)³=(4.5)³=91. The nuclear radius is given by R = R₀ A¹/³ , where A (mass number) is the key factor determining the size, as the radius scales with the cube root of the number of nucleons. Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

What is the radius of a nucleus with mass number 200? (Given \( R_0 = 1.2 \times 10^{-15} \, \text{m} \))

**Nuclear size** order 10⁻¹⁵ m femtometer, atomic size 10⁻¹⁰ m, ratio 10⁵, nucleus contains protons and neutrons bound by strong force, density independent of A indicates incompressibility, R₀ determined from electron scattering experiments. R = R₀ A¹/³ . A = 200 , A¹/³ = 200¹/³ ≈ 5.85 . R = 1.2 × 10⁻¹⁵ × 5.85 ≈ 7.0 × 10⁻¹⁵ m . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation yields 7.0 × 10⁻¹⁵ m, consistent with Bohr model and nuclear binding energy systematics.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure

A nucleus has a radius of \( 3.6 \times 10^{-15} \, \text{m} \). What is its approximate mass number? (Given \( R_0 = 1.

**Nuclear size** order 10⁻¹⁵ m femtometer, atomic size 10⁻¹⁰ m, ratio 10⁵, nucleus contains protons and neutrons bound by strong force, density independent of A indicates incompressibility, R₀ determined from electron scattering experiments. R = R₀ A¹/³ . 3.6 × 10⁻¹⁵ = 1.2 × 10⁻¹⁵ × A¹/³ . A¹/³ = (3.6/1.2) = 3 . A = 3³ = 27 . Using E_n = -13.6/n² eV, r_n = n² a₀, L = n h/2π, R = R₀ A^¹/³, BE = Δm c² and 1 u = 931.5 MeV, evaluation yields 27, consistent with Bohr model and nuclear binding energy systematics.

Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Atoms and Nuclei > Nuclear Size, Density and Structure