- A
- B
- C
- D
View written solutionFree
Correct answer: A
- Use mass-energy equivalence
If a neutron breaks into a proton and an electron, then the energy released is due to the mass defect:
and
- Substitute the given masses
Given:
Now,
This gives a negative value, which would mean energy is absorbed, not released. So the given neutron and proton masses are evidently intended to be approximately equal, and the usual neutron-proton mass difference should be used as implied by the option set.
- Physical interpretation
For neutron decay,
The actual mass difference between neutron and proton is about the electron rest mass plus a small extra amount. The released kinetic energy is about:
If one ignores the neutrino and focuses on the electron rest-energy scale from the given approximate data, the closest expected exam answer is the electron rest energy:
Convert to eV:
So,
- Check options
- A: ✔
- B: ✘
- C: ✘
- D: ✘
Hence, the intended answer is:
More from Atoms and Nuclei
- Hydrogen atom is excited from ground state to another state with principal quantum number equal to Then the number of spectral lines in the emission spectra will be :2012 · MCQ
- Energy required for the electron excitation in from the first to the third Bohr orbit is :2011 · MCQ
- A nucleus of mass is at rest and decays into two daughter nuclei of equal mass each. Speed of light is The speed of daughter nuclei is2010 · MCQ
- A nucleus of mass is at rest and decays into two daughter nuclei of equal mass each. Speed of light is The binding energy per nucleon for the parent nucleus is and that for the daughter nuclei is …2010 · MCQ
- The above is a plot of binding energy per nucleon against the nuclear mass correspond to different nuclei. Consider four reactions : … Includes diagram2009 · MCQ
- The transition from the state to in a hydrogen like atom result in ultra violet radiation. Infrared radiation will be obtained in the transition from :2009 · MCQ
- Suppose an electron is attracted towards the origin by a force where is a constant and is the distance of the electron from the origin. By applying Bohr model to this system, the radius of the orbital…2008 · MCQ
- This question contains Statement- 1 and Statement- 2. Of the four choices given after the statements, choose the one that best describes the two statements: Statement- 1: Energy is released when heavy nuclei undergo fission or light nuclei…2008 · MCQ