Binding Energy

Problems

practice

1. Write something.
2. Write something.
3. Write something.
4. Write something.

numerical

1. The fuel used in most high-yield thermonuclear weapons is solid lithium 6 deuteride. These weapons, commonly known as "hydrogen bombs" or "H-bombs", use the energy released when a nucleus of light lithium, also known as lithium 6 (⁶₃Li, m = 6.015121 u), and heavy hydrogen, also known as deuterium (²₁H, m = 2.0140 u), fuse to form two nuclei of ordinary helium (⁴₂He, m = 4.00260 u).
   1. Write this reaction out in symbolic form.
   2. What is the mass defect when one molecule of lithium 6 deuteride is transformed into two atoms of helium? State your answer in…
      1. atomic mass units
      2. megaelectronvolts
      3. joules
      4. kilograms
2. Calculate the binding energy (in MeV) liberated in each of the following nuclear reactions.

   Masses of selected isotopes

   isotope	mass (u)
   0−1e	000.000548579903
   10n	001.008664904000
   11p	001.007276470000
   11H	001.007825000000
   21H	002.014000000000
   31H	003.016050000000
   32He	003.016030000000
   42He	004.002600000000
   3215P	031.973907000000
   3216S	031.972070000000
   9236Kr	091.926270000000
   10345Rh	102.905500000000
   10445Rh	103.906651000000
   14156Ba	140.910581000000
   20682Pb	205.974400000000
   21084Po	209.982848000000
   23592U	235.043924000000

   1. Alpha decay

      ²¹⁰₈₄Po → ²⁰⁶₈₂Pb + ⁴₂He

   2. Beta decay, isolated

      ¹₀n → ¹₁H + ⁰₋₁e + ⁰₀ν

   3. Beta decay, nucleic

      ³²₁₅P → ³²₁₆S + ⁰₋₁e + ⁰₀ν

   4. Neutron capture

      ¹₀n + ¹⁰³₄₅Rh → ¹⁰⁴₄₅Rh

   5. Fusion

      ²₁H + ²₁H → ³₁H + ¹₁H

   6. Fission

      ¹₀n + ²³⁵₉₂U → ¹⁴¹₅₆Ba + ⁹²₃₆Kr + 3¹₀n

   This question is also available as a standalone worksheet.