Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 21: Problem 10

Define nuclear binding energy, mass defect, and nucleon.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Nuclear binding energy is the required energy to disassemble a nucleus into its separate protons and neutrons. Mass defect refers to the difference in mass between the nucleons (protons and neutrons) separate and free and the same nucleons when they are in a nucleus. A nucleon refers to the particles that make up the nucleus of an atom, which includes either a proton or a neutron.

Step by step solution

01

Defining Nuclear Binding Energy

Nuclear binding energy is the energy that is required to disassemble a nucleus into its separate protons and neutrons. This energy is needed because protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus are always bound together via the nuclear force, which is very strong, so a significant amount of energy is needed to overcome this force and disassemble the nucleus.
02

Defining Mass Defect

Mass defect refers to the difference in mass between the nucleons (protons and neutrons) separate and free and the same nucleons when they are in a nucleus. The mass of a nucleus is always less than the sum of the individual masses of the protons and neutrons that it's made of. This mass discrepancy might seem weird at first, but it can be explained by Einstein's theory of relativity. The missing mass has been converted into energy, which is exactly the binding energy.
03

Defining Nucleon

A nucleon is a term used to refer to the particles that make up the nucleus of an atom, which includes either a proton or a neutron. These are the two particles that reside in the nucleus, and they are almost identical in mass.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

The half-life of \({ }^{27} \mathrm{Mg}\) is \(9.50 \mathrm{~min}\). (a) Initially there were \(4.20 \times 10^{12}{ }^{27} \mathrm{Mg}\) nuclei present. How many \({ }^{27}\) Mg nuclei are left 30.0 min later? (b) Calculate the \({ }^{27} \mathrm{Mg}\) activities \((\) in \(\mathrm{Ci})\) at \(t=0\) and \(t=30.0 \mathrm{~min}\) (c) What is the probability that any one \({ }^{27} \mathrm{Mg}\) nucleus decays during a 1 -s interval? What assumption is made in this calculation?

Sources of energy on Earth include fossil fuels, geothermal, gravitational, hydroelectric, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, solar, and wind. Which of these have a "nuclear origin," either directly or indirectly?

What is the belt of stability?

Write complete nuclear equations for these processes: (a) tritium, \({ }^{3} \mathrm{H},\) undergoes \(\beta\) decay; \((\mathrm{b}){ }^{242} \mathrm{Pu}\) undergoes \(\alpha\) -particle emission; \((\mathrm{c})^{131} \mathrm{I}\) undergoes \(\beta\) decay; (d) \(^{251} \mathrm{Cf}\) emits an \(\alpha\) particle.

The radius of a uranium- 235 nucleus is about \(7.0 \times\) \(10^{-3} \mathrm{pm} .\) Calculate the density of the nucleus in \(\mathrm{g} / \mathrm{cm}^{3}\). (Assume the atomic mass is 235 amu.)
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

The Earths Atmosphere

Read Explanation

Inorganic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Nuclear Chemistry

Read Explanation

Organic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Ionic and Molecular Compounds

Read Explanation

Kinetics

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free