Enter the mass defect in atomic mass units and the number of nucleons into the calculator to determine the binding energy per nucleon in MeV.
Binding Energy Per Nucleon Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the binding energy per nucleon.
BE = (Δm * c^2) / A
Variables:
- BE is the binding energy per nucleon (MeV)
- Δm is the mass defect (atomic mass units)
- c is the speed of light in a vacuum (approximately 931.494 MeV per atomic mass unit)
- A is the number of nucleons (protons and neutrons in the nucleus)
To calculate the binding energy per nucleon, multiply the mass defect by the speed of light squared conversion factor and divide by the number of nucleons.
What is Binding Energy Per Nucleon?
Binding energy per nucleon is the energy that would be required to split a nucleus into individual protons and neutrons. It is a measure of the stability of a nucleus; the higher the binding energy per nucleon, the more stable the nucleus. This concept is crucial in nuclear physics and helps explain phenomena such as nuclear fission and fusion.
How to Calculate Binding Energy Per Nucleon?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Binding Energy Per Nucleon.
- First, determine the mass defect (Δm) in atomic mass units.
- Next, determine the number of nucleons (A) in the nucleus.
- Use the formula BE = (Δm * c^2) / A, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum (931.494 MeV/amu).
- Finally, calculate the Binding Energy Per Nucleon (BE) in MeV.
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem :
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
Mass defect (Δm) = 0.030 atomic mass units
Number of nucleons (A) = 56
