Determine the binding energy of an O-16 nucleus.The O-16 nucleus has a mass of 15.9905 amu.A proton has a mass of 1.00728 amu,a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 amu,and 1 amu is equivalent to 931 MeV of energy.

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The binding energy of a nucleus can be calculated using the formula: $$BE = \left( Zm_p + Nm_n - M \right) \times 931 \, \text{MeV}$$ where $Z$ is the number of protons, $N$ is the number of neutrons, $m_p$ is the mass of a proton, $m_n$ is the mass of a neutron, $M$ is the mass of the nucleus, and 931 MeV is the energy equivalent of 1 amu. For an O-16 nucleus, $Z = 8$ (since it's oxygen), $N = 8$ (since it's O-16, meaning 16 total nucleons minus 8 protons gives 8 neutrons), $m_p = 1.00728 \, \text{amu}$, $m_n = 1.008665 \, \text{amu}$, and $M = 15.9905 \, \text{amu}$. Plugging these values into the formula gives: $$BE = \left( 8 \times 1.00728 + 8 \times 1.008665 - 15.9905 \right) \times 931 = 128 \, \text{MeV}$$

Determine the Binding Energy of an O-16 Nucleus