Nuclear binding energy: The set of nuclear reactions that power our sun can be summarized a 4p⁺ → ⁴He⁺² + 2e⁺. The masses of the particles involved are 938.272 MeV/c² (proton, p⁺), 3727.38 MeV/c² (alpha particle, ⁴He⁺²), and 0.511 MeV/c² (positron, e⁺). How much energy is released by each set of these reactions?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The energy released is calculated by taking the mass difference before and after the reaction and converting it to energy using Einstein's equation E=mc^2. Before the reaction, the total mass is 4 protons * 938.272 MeV/c^2 = 3753.088 MeV/c^2. After the reaction, the total mass is the mass of the alpha particle (3727.38 MeV/c^2) plus 2 positrons (2 * 0.511 MeV/c^2 = 1.022 MeV/c^2), totaling 3728.402 MeV/c^2. The mass difference is 3753.088 - 3728.402 = 24.686 MeV/c^2, which is approximately 24.69 MeV, indicating the energy released by the reaction.

Nuclear Binding Energy: the Set of Nuclear Reactions That Power