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Q.Define atomic mass unit. Find the energy equivalent to 1u (atomic mass unit).

Nagaland NbseNagaland Board of School Education 2018Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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1u = 1/12 of the mass of a carbon-12 atom; using E=mc2E=mc^2 this equals about 931.5 MeV.

The atomic mass unit (u) is defined as exactly 112\dfrac{1}{12}th of the mass of one atom of the carbon isotope 612C^{12}_6C (in its ground state, unbound, at rest). Numerically,

1u=1.660539×10−27 kg1u = 1.660539\times10^{-27}\,kg

By Einstein's mass-energy equivalence relation, E=mc2E=mc^2, the energy equivalent of 1u is:

E=(1.660539×10−27 kg)×(2.998×108 m/s)2E = (1.660539\times10^{-27}\,kg)\times(2.998\times10^{8}\,m/s)^2

E=1.4924×10−10 JE = 1.4924\times10^{-10}\,J

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