It is common to illustrate the density of nuclear matter by discussing the mass of a teaspoon of nuclear material. The volume of a teaspoon is about $5 \mathrm{~cm}^{3}$. Using the relationship $r=(1.2 \mathrm{fm}) \mathrm{A}^{1 / 3}$ together with the mass of a proton, $1.67 \times 10^{-27} \mathrm{~kg}$, estimate the mass of a teaspoon of nuclear material.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The volume of a nucleus is proportional to $A$, the mass number, and the density is approximately constant. Using the formula for the radius, the volume of a nucleus is $V = \frac{4}{3}\pi r^3$. The density is then $\rho = \frac{m}{V}$, where $m$ is the mass of the nucleus. Calculating the density and multiplying by the volume of a teaspoon gives approximately $1.15 \times 10^{12} \mathrm{~kg}$.

It Is Common to Illustrate the Density of Nuclear Matter 5 cm35 \mathrm{~cm}^{3}5 cm3

It Is Common to Illustrate the Density of Nuclear Matter $5 \mathrm{~cm}^{3}$