The mass of a Li-7 nucleus is 0.042 u less than the sum of masses of its nucleons. Find its binding energy per nucleon (1 u ≈ 931 MeV/c²).
Options

Question

The mass of a Li-7 nucleus is 0.042 u less than the sum of masses of its nucleons. Find its binding energy per nucleon (1 u ≈ 931 MeV/c²).

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

Mass defect Δm = 0.042 u. Total binding energy BE = Δmc² = 0.042 × 931 = 39.10 MeV. Number of nucleons A = 7. BE per nucleon = 39.10/7 = 5.59 ≈ 5.6 MeV. Final answer: Option B.