Calculation of mass defect

If you have a printer, print out this page to keep a record of your measurements and calculations.  If you do not have a printer, you could copy this sheet by hand.

Isotope data

Isotope
Nucleon number (A)
Proton number (Z)
Number of neutrons (A - Z)
Number of electrons (= Z)

Calculation

Mass of protons, Mp = 1.0078Z u
Mass of neutrons, Mn = 1.0087(A - Z) u
Relative atomic mass (R)
Mass defect, MD ((Mp + Mn) - R) u
Mass defect (931MD MeV) MeV
 

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