What's the mass of an electron compared to the mass of say, a proton?Drizzy said:Homework Statement
Th-232 ---> He-4 + Ra-228 + energy
How much is the energy?
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
my solution is this:
[m(Th-232)-90m(electron)] - m(He-4) - [8m(Ra-228)-88m(electron)]
My book skipped the electrons, why?
veeeeeeery smallSteamKing said:What's the mass of an electron compared to the mass of say, a proton?
So if you took 88 veeery small electrons and put them together, would you have something which approached the mass of even 1 proton?Drizzy said:veeeeeeery small
SteamKing said:So if you took 88 veeery small electrons and put them together, would you have something which approached the mass of even 1 proton?
Drizzy said:no :P but my friend is saying that they skipped the electrons because there are 88 electrons before the decay and equally as much after. but if that was the case then I should be able to write the mass of the electrons and then cross them off because they cancel out each other
Drizzy said:[m(Th-232)-90m(electron)] - m(He-4) - [8m(Ra-228)-88m(electron)]
My book skipped the electrons, why?
The energy of a Th-232 nuclear reaction can be calculated using the Einstein's famous equation, E=mc^2, where E is the energy released, m is the mass defect (difference between the initial and final masses of the reactants and products), and c is the speed of light.
The mass defect in a Th-232 nuclear reaction is the difference between the initial mass of the Th-232 nucleus and the final mass of the products after the reaction. This difference is due to the conversion of some of the mass into energy according to Einstein's equation.
The mass defect in a Th-232 nuclear reaction can be calculated by subtracting the final mass of the products from the initial mass of the Th-232 nucleus. This difference in mass is then used in Einstein's equation to calculate the energy released during the reaction.
The binding energy is the energy that holds the nucleus of an atom together. In a nuclear reaction, the binding energy is released as the nucleons rearrange and form new products. This binding energy is included in the mass defect calculation and contributes to the overall energy released in the reaction.
Yes, the energy released in a Th-232 nuclear reaction can be calculated accurately by taking into account the mass defect, binding energy, and other factors such as the type of reaction and the energy of the particles involved. However, due to some uncertainties in the measurement of masses and energies, the calculated value may have a small margin of error.