The mass of a typical nucleus is
A) somewhat less than the sum of the masses of its constituents.
B) somewhat more than the sum of the masses of its constituents.
C) equal to the sum of the masses of its constituents.
D) None of the previous responses is a valid generalization.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mass of a typical nucleus is somewhat less than the sum of the masses of its constituents due to the mass defect, which is the difference between the mass of a nucleus and the sum of the masses of its protons and neutrons. This mass defect is converted into binding energy that holds the nucleus together, according to Einstein's equation E=mc^2.

The Mass of a Typical Nucleus Is