Question

Amass difference of 0.0012u is equivalent to energy of?

Answer 1

I get `1.8*10^-3 \ "J"~~1.12 \ "MeV"`.

Explanation:

We use Einstein's equation, which states that,

`E=mc^2`

• `m` is the mass of the object in kilograms

• `c` is the speed of light in meters per second

So, we got: `0.0012 \ "u"~~2*10^-30 \ "kg"`

And so, the energy released is,

`E=2*10^-30 \ "kg"*(3*10^8 \ "m/s")^2`

`=2*10^-30 \ "kg"*9*10^16 \ "m"^2"/s"^2`

`=18*10^-14 \ "kg m"^2"/s"^2`

`=1.8*10^-13 \ "J"`

To convert to `"MeV"`, we use the relationship that,

`1 \ "J"~~6.24*10^12 \ "MeV"`

And so here, we get:

`1.8*10^-13color(red)cancelcolor(black)"J"*(6.24*10^12 \ "MeV")/(color(red)cancelcolor(black)"J")~~1.12 \ "MeV"`