The term 'mass defect' describes the fact that the mass of the product of a nuclear reaction (such as a helium-4 nucleus from hydrogen atoms) is less than the mass of the individual four nucleons.

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The actual measured mass of a beryllium-9 atom is 9.012182 atomic mass units (amu) and the expected mass is calculated to be 9.072429 amu. Therefore, the mass defect for a beryllium-9 nucleus is 0.0624 amu. (1 amu= 1.66X10-27 kg) How much energy will this reaction provide?

3.12 x 10-20 kg m2/s2

9.36 x 10-12 kg m2/s2

3.46 x 10-36 kg m2/s2

1.11 x 10-11 kg m2/s2


In a nuclear reaction, the energy released is 3.0 x 1020 joules. To what mass does this amount of energy equate? (1 J = 1 kg m2/s2)

2.7 x 1036 kg

1.0 x 1012 kg

3.3 x 103 kg

2.7 x 10-4 kg


If 3.0 kilograms of gasoline were burned in a car engine, they would yield 140,000,000 joules, which is a tremendous amount of energy. However, burning the gasoline only produces a chemical change. Convert those 3.0 kilograms of gasoline completely into energy, using Einstein's equation. (1 J = 1 kg m2/s2)

2.7 x 1017 kg m2/s2

2.7 x 1015 kg m2/s2

9.0 x 108 kg m2/s2

3.3 x 10-16 kg m2/s2


What is the average binding energy per nucleon for a U-238 nucleus with a mass defect of 0.184 amu? (1 amu= 1.66 x 10-27 kg; 1 J = 1 kg m2/s2)

2.38 x 10-30 J

2.75 x 10-11 J

1.01 x 10-20 J

1.16 x 10-13 J