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