Question

In the nuclear reaction : \[ {}_{1}^{2}\text{H} + {}_{1}^{2}\text{H} \rightarrow {}_{2}^{\text{A}}\text{X} + {}_{0}^{1}\text{n} \] (a) Find the value of A.
(b) Calculate the amount of energy released in the reaction.
Given : \( m\left({}_{1}^{2}\text{H}\right) = 2.014102\text{ u} \), \( m\left({}_{2}^{\text{A}}\text{X}\right) = 3.016049\text{ u} \), \( m\left({}_{0}^{1}\text{n}\right) = 1.008665\text{ u} \), \( 1\text{ u} = 931.5\text{ MeV}/c^2 \)

Hint:

When computing values for mass defects in nuclear reactions, never round off numbers prematurely in intermediate steps! The differences occur past the third or fourth decimal place, so maintaining all six decimal places provided in the given values is essential to avoid significant rounding errors in your final energy calculation.

Answer 1