The mass of a proton is 1.00728 amu and that of a neutron is 1.00867 amu. What is the binding energy (in J)of a Co nucleus? (The mass of a cobalt-60 nucleus is 59.9338 amu.)

Question

The mass of a proton is 1.00728 amu and that of a neutron is 1.00867 amu. What is the binding energy (in J)of a  Co nucleus? (The mass of a cobalt-60 nucleus is 59.9338 amu.)

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The binding energy (BE) can be calculated using the formula:
BE = [Z(mass of proton) + (A-Z)(mass of neutron) - mass of nucleus] × c²
where Z is the atomic number, A is the mass number, and c is the speed of light.

For cobalt-60, Z = 27 and A = 60.
Mass of nucleus = 59.9338 amu
Mass of proton = 1.00728 amu
Mass of neutron = 1.00867 amu
Plugging in the values, we get:
BE = [27(1.00728) + 33(1.00867) - 59.9338] × (2.998 × 10^8)^2
BE = 8.20 × 10^-11 J

Therefore, the best choice is D.

The Mass of a Proton Is 1