Looking for classes? Ksquare Career Institute, Bengaluru →
Nuclei
Nuclear Fusion and Mass Defect
1 question from 1 paper, each with its answer.
- question
- 1
- paper
- 1
- of Nuclei
- 1.3%
Concepts tested
- Mass defect in fusion
All Questions
2004 AIPMT 1 question
-
If in a nuclear fusion process the masses of the fusing nuclei be $m_1$ and $m_2$ and the mass of the resultant nucleus be $m_3$, thenIn nuclear fusion, two light nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, and a large amount of energy is released.
The product nucleus is more stable (it has a higher binding energy per nucleon) than the fusing nuclei.
By Einstein's mass-energy relation, the energy released comes from a loss of mass: $E = \Delta m\, c^2$, where $\Delta m = (m_1 + m_2) - m_3$.
Since energy is released, $\Delta m \gt 0$.
So the mass of the product is less than the sum of the masses of the reactants: $m_3 \lt (m_1 + m_2)$.