Question

The mass defect in a nuclear reaction is directly caused by:

Options

• A change in the binding energy of the nuclei

• The escape of protons from the nucleus

• A decrease in the nuclear charge

• An increase in the total number of nucleons

Answer 1

Although the total number of protons and neutrons is conserved, the binding energy of the nuclei changes. This change causes a mass defect, and the lost mass is converted into energy according to \[E = mc^2\].