- #1
fridakahlo
- 10
- 1
Homework Statement
"You might wonder how six protons and six neutrons, each having a mass larger than 1 u, can be combined with six electrons to form a carbon-12 atom having a mass of exactly 12 u. The bound system of carbon-12 has a lower rest energy than that of six separate protons and six separate neutrons. According to E=mc^2, this lower rest energy corresponds to a smaller mass for the bound system. The difference in mass accounts for the binding energy when the particles are combined to form the nucleus."
Homework Equations
E=mc^2
1amu= 1.660539e-27 kg
The Attempt at a Solution
I came across this passage in my textbook, and I'm having difficulty in seeing how the rest energy for carbon-12 can be lower than that of six separate protons or six separate neutrons. My understanding is that the more mass the greater the rest energy.