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The mass of a nucleus in its ground stat...

The mass of a nucleus in its ground state is

A

less than the total mass of neutrons and protons

B

greater than the total mass of neutrons and protons

C

equal to the total mass of neutrons and protons,

D

equal to the total mass of neutron, protons and electrons.

Text Solution

Verified by Experts

The correct Answer is:
A
Protons and neutrons have to come very close to form a nucleus. In order to achieve this closeness, a lot off energy is required. This energy is a provided by the nucleons at the expense of certain portion of their masses. For this reason, the mass of a Enucleus-in. its ground state is always less than the total mass of the constituent neutrons and protons.
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