Lesson 11.1.1

11.1.1 Nuclear binding energy and the atomic mass unit Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Physics, Unit 11

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 11.1.1, Nuclear binding energy and the atomic mass unit: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Physics (9PH0), Unit 11: Nuclear Radiation, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the energy required to completely separate a nucleus into its constituent nucleons?

    • Excitation energy
    • Ionisation energy
    • Binding energy
    • Rest energy

  2. What is the difference between the total mass of separated nucleons and the mass of their nucleus?

    • Mass number
    • Atomic mass
    • Mass defect
    • Nucleon number

  3. What is the value of one atomic mass unit (u) in kilograms?

    • 1.66 x 10^-27 kg
    • 1.66 x 10^-19 kg
    • 6.02 x 10^-27 kg
    • 1.00 x 10^-27 kg

  4. What energy is equivalent to one atomic mass unit?

    • about 1.6 MeV
    • about 931 MeV
    • about 13.6 MeV
    • about 511 MeV

  5. Which nucleus has the greatest binding energy per nucleon?

    • Hydrogen-2
    • Iron-56
    • Uranium-238
    • Lead-208

  6. Which equation gives the energy released from a mass defect Δ m?

    • E = Δ m / c^2
    • E = Δ m c
    • E = Δ m c^2 / 2
    • E = Δ m c^2

  7. A helium-4 nucleus has mass 4.0015 u. Protons have mass 1.00728 u and neutrons 1.00866 u. What is the mass defect?

    • 0.0050 u
    • 0.0152 u
    • 0.0319 u
    • 0.0304 u

  8. Using the mass defect of 0.0304 u for helium-4, what is the total binding energy? Use 1 u = 931.5 MeV.

    • about 4.03 MeV
    • about 0.03 MeV
    • about 7.07 MeV
    • about 28.3 MeV

  9. The binding energy of helium-4 is about 28.3 MeV for 4 nucleons. What is the binding energy per nucleon?

    • about 4.0 MeV
    • about 0.76 MeV
    • about 28 MeV
    • about 7.1 MeV

  10. A nuclear reaction changes mass by 0.020 u. What energy is released? Use 1 u = 931.5 MeV.

    • about 0.02 MeV
    • about 18.6 MeV
    • about 9.3 MeV
    • about 931 MeV

  11. What is the energy equivalent of a mass defect of 1.0 g? Use c = 3.0 x 10^8 m s^-1.

    • 3.0 x 10^8 J
    • 9.0 x 10^13 J
    • 9.0 x 10^16 J
    • 9.0 x 10^10 J

  12. Convert 2.0 u to kilograms, using 1 u = 1.66 x 10^-27 kg.

    • 6.64 x 10^-27 kg
    • 1.66 x 10^-27 kg
    • 3.32 x 10^-25 kg
    • 3.32 x 10^-27 kg

  13. When nucleons combine to form a nucleus, what happens to their total mass?

    • It stays constant
    • It decreases
    • It doubles
    • It increases

  14. What energy is required to completely separate the nucleons in a deuterium nucleus?

    • 2.22 MeV
    • 1.11 MeV
    • 0 MeV
    • 4.44 MeV

  15. Which nucleus has the highest binding energy per nucleon?

    • Iron-56
    • Helium-4
    • Hydrogen-1
    • Uranium-235

  16. How does a nucleus's mass compare to the total mass of its separate nucleons?

    • It varies continuously
    • It is greater
    • It is less
    • It is equal

  17. What term describes the difference between the mass of a nucleus and its separate nucleons?

    • Binding energy
    • Mass defect
    • Mass number
    • Atomic number

  18. What is the value of one unified atomic mass unit, 1 u, in kilograms?

    • 9.11 x 10^-31 kg
    • 1.67 x 10^-24 kg
    • 1.66 x 10^-27 kg
    • 1.60 x 10^-19 kg

  19. For a nucleus of binding energy 100 MeV made from 25 nucleons, what is the binding energy per nucleon?

    • 4.0 MeV
    • 25 MeV
    • 100 MeV
    • 0.25 MeV

  20. A nucleus contains 26 protons and 30 neutrons. What is its mass number?

    • 26
    • 30
    • 4
    • 56

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