What conversion factor converts mass defect in amu to binding energy in MeV?

What conversion factor converts mass defect in amu to binding energy in MeV?

• A. 1.6605e-27 kg per amu
• B. 931.1 MeV/amu
• C. 2.0 MeV/amu
• D. 510 keV/amu

Answer: (B)

Mass-energy equivalence is what links a mass defect to binding energy. The mass defect, when expressed in atomic mass units, can be converted to energy in MeV using the factor that 1 amu corresponds to about 931 MeV of energy (more precisely, ~931.1–931.5 MeV per amu, depending on the constants used). So the binding energy in MeV is Δm (in amu) × ≈931 MeV/amu. This is why the factor around 931 MeV per amu is the correct one. The other options either give a mass unit (kg per amu) or an energy-per-amu far from the correct scale (a few MeV or keV), which doesn’t reflect the mass-energy conversion for a single atomic mass unit.

Mass-energy equivalence is what links a mass defect to binding energy. The mass defect, when expressed in atomic mass units, can be converted to energy in MeV using the factor that 1 amu corresponds to about 931 MeV of energy (more precisely, ~931.1–931.5 MeV per amu, depending on the constants used). So the binding energy in MeV is Δm (in amu) × ≈931 MeV/amu. This is why the factor around 931 MeV per amu is the correct one. The other options either give a mass unit (kg per amu) or an energy-per-amu far from the correct scale (a few MeV or keV), which doesn’t reflect the mass-energy conversion for a single atomic mass unit.