Question:medium

Two nuclei have mass numbers A and B respectively. The density ratio of the nuclei is______.
Fill in the blank with the correct answer from the options given below.

Updated On: Mar 27, 2026
  • A : B
  • √A : √B
  • A² : B²
  • 1 : 1
Show Solution

The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

The density ratio of two nuclei with mass numbers \(A\) and \(B\) is determined by the principle of constant nuclear density. Nuclear density, primarily dictated by nuclear forces, is invariant across different nuclei. The density (\(\rho\)) of a nucleus is defined as:

\[\rho = \frac{\text{Mass of the nucleus}}{\text{Volume of the nucleus}}\]

Since nuclear volume is proportional to \(A^{1/3}\) (due to volume scaling with the cube of radius \(r \propto A^{1/3}\)), both mass and volume scale identically with the mass number. Consequently, nuclear density is:

\[\rho \propto \frac{A}{A^{1/3}} = A^{0} = \text{constant}\]

This constant density implies that the density ratio between any two nuclei, irrespective of their mass numbers \(A\) and \(B\), is 1:1.

Thus, the density ratio is: 1 : 1

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