Mass defect and nuclear binding energy

Need to know

What you need to know

• **Atomic Mass Unit (u):** Defined as 1/12th the mass of a neutral carbon-12 atom. $1 \text{ u} = 1.661 \times 10^{-27} \text{ kg}$. It's a convenient unit for the tiny masses of subatomic particles.
• **Electronvolt (eV):** The energy gained by an electron accelerated through a potential difference of 1 volt. $1 \text{ eV} = 1.60 \times 10^{-19} \text{ J}$. Nuclear energies are often expressed in **Mega-electronvolts (MeV)**, where $1 \text{ MeV} = 10^6 \text{ eV}$.
• **Energy-Mass Conversion:** Using E=mc², the energy equivalent of 1 atomic mass unit can be calculated. It is a very useful conversion factor: $1 \text{ u} \approx 931.5 \text{ MeV}$.

Explanation

Mass defect and nuclear binding energy

1. **Atomic Mass Unit (u):** Defined as 1/12th the mass of a neutral carbon-12 atom. $1 \text{ u} = 1.661 \times 10^{-27} \text{ kg}$. It's a convenient unit for the tiny masses of subatomic particles.
2. **Electronvolt (eV):** The energy gained by an electron accelerated through a potential difference of 1 volt. $1 \text{ eV} = 1.60 \times 10^{-19} \text{ J}$. Nuclear energies are often expressed in **Mega-electronvolts (MeV)**, where $1 \text{ MeV} = 10^6 \text{ eV}$.
3. **Energy-Mass Conversion:** Using E=mc², the energy equivalent of 1 atomic mass unit can be calculated. It is a very useful conversion factor: $1 \text{ u} \approx 931.5 \text{ MeV}$.