Practice question
Question
A nucleus has a mass defect of \( 0.05 \, \text{u} \). What is its binding energy in MeV? (Given \( 1
\, \text{u} = 931.5 \, \text{MeV/c}^2 \))
Explanation
**Energy equivalent** E= m c², 0.005 kg matter E=0.005×9×10¹⁶=4.5×10¹⁴ J, 0.01 kg 9×10¹⁴ J, mass defect 0.1 u => BE=0.1×931.5=93.15 MeV, mass defect from BE 149.04 MeV => Δm=149.04/931.5=0.16 u, BE per nucleon 8.5 MeV A=20 total BE=170 MeV. Binding energy = Δ M · c² . Δ M = 0.05 u . E_b = 0.05 × 931.5 = 46.575 MeV ≈ 46.58 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 46.58 MeV, consistent with Bohr model and nuclear binding energy systematics.
Discussion
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