Question

Would someone be able to explain this Mass Defect problem to me? I'm hoping if I can understand it I will be able to do the rest of the worksheet on my own.

The isotope Cobalt-60 has a nuclear mass of 59.933820 u
Calculate the Mass Defect of Cobalt-60 using the following information.
Mass of Proton: 1.007825 u
Mass of Neutron: 1.008665 u
1 u = 931.5 MeV

Answer 1

5. The carbon isotope 12^6_C has a mass of 12.0000 u.
a. Calculate its mass defect.
Mass defect = (isotope mass) - (mass of protons and electrons) - (mass of neutrons)
= 12.000000 u - (6)(1.007825 u) - (6)(1.008665 u)
= -0.098940 u
b. Calculate its binding energy in MeV.
Binding energy = (mass defect)(binding energy of 1 u)
= (-0.098940 u)(931.49 MeV/u)
= -92.161 MeV