Amass difference of 0.0012u is equivalent to energy of?

1 Answer
Mar 28, 2018

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"#