Lesson 3.8.1.6

3.8.1.6 Mass and energy Quiz: AQA Physics, Unit 8

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.8.1.6, Mass and energy: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Physics (7408), Unit 8: Nuclear physics (A-level only), written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which statement about E = mc^2 is correct?

    • Mass is always conserved, so the equation applies only to chemical reactions
    • It applies only to particles at rest
    • It applies to every energy change, so mass changes accompany any energy transfer
    • It applies only to nuclear reactions and not to chemical reactions

  2. What is the energy equivalent of one atomic mass unit?

    • 9.315 MeV
    • 1.66 MeV
    • 931.5 keV
    • 931.5 MeV

  3. What is nuclear binding energy?

    • the energy needed to separate a nucleus completely into its individual nucleons
    • the energy released when a nucleus absorbs a neutron
    • the energy of the photon emitted when the nucleus decays
    • the kinetic energy of the nucleons inside the nucleus

  4. Why do both fission of heavy nuclei and fusion of light nuclei release energy?

    • the products have a higher average binding energy per nucleon than the original nuclei
    • fusion releases energy because the products are lighter than the reactants
    • fission releases energy because the products are heavier, while fusion absorbs energy
    • the products have a lower binding energy per nucleon than the original nuclei

  5. A deuteron has a mass of 2.01355 u. A proton of 1.00728 u and a neutron of 1.00866 u combine to form it. What is the binding energy? Use 1 u = 931.5 MeV.

    • 0.0024 MeV
    • 931 MeV
    • 2.2 MeV
    • 22 MeV

  6. The mass defect of a nucleus is 0.200 u. How much energy is equivalent to this mass defect?

    • 18.6 MeV
    • 931.5 MeV
    • 186 MeV
    • 0.2 MeV

  7. A fission reaction releases 200 MeV. What mass is equivalent to this energy?

    • 0.0215 u
    • 0.215 u
    • 186 u
    • 2.15 u

  8. Deuterium-tritium fusion releases 17.6 MeV. What mass is equivalent to this energy?

    • 0.189 u
    • 0.0189 u
    • 0.00189 u
    • 1.89 u

  9. Which nuclei have the highest average binding energy per nucleon?

    • only nuclei with nucleon number near 200
    • the heaviest nuclei, such as uranium-238
    • nuclei near iron-56, around nucleon number 56
    • the lightest nuclei, such as hydrogen

  10. How much energy is released if 1.0 kg of mass is completely converted to energy? Use c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.

    • 9.0 x 10^16 J
    • 3.0 x 10^8 J
    • 9.0 x 10^12 J
    • 9.0 x 10^8 J

  11. What is the energy equivalent of 1.0 mg of mass? Use c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.

    • 9.0 x 10^13 J
    • 9.0 x 10^7 J
    • 9.0 x 10^10 J
    • 9.0 x 10^4 J

  12. Radium-226 alpha decay involves a mass decrease of 0.0059 u. What energy is released?

    • 5.5 MeV
    • 9.3 MeV
    • 55 MeV
    • 0.0059 MeV

  13. A proton and a neutron combine to form a deuteron, releasing 2.2 MeV. Which statement is correct?

    • The deuteron loses 2.2 u of mass in forming
    • The deuteron has more mass than the separate nucleons, by about 0.0024 u
    • The deuteron has less mass than the separate nucleons, by about 0.0024 u
    • The deuteron mass equals the sum of the nucleon masses, so no energy is released

  14. A reactor produces 1 GW of thermal power for one day. About what mass is converted to energy? Use c = 3.0 x 10^8 m/s.

    • 0.096 g
    • 9.6 g
    • 96 g
    • 0.96 g

  15. Four hydrogen nuclei fuse to form helium-4, with a mass decrease of 0.0287 u. What energy is released?

    • 2.87 MeV
    • 0.0287 MeV
    • 26.7 MeV
    • 267 MeV

  16. A mass difference of 0.0010 u is converted to energy. What is the energy?

    • 0.093 MeV
    • 0.93 MeV
    • 9.3 MeV
    • 93 MeV

  17. Why does the total mass of the products of a fission reaction end up smaller than the mass of the original nucleus?

    • mass increases because neutrons are added to the nucleus
    • mass is converted into kinetic energy and radiation, so the products have less total mass
    • mass is destroyed completely, leaving no products
    • mass changes only in fusion, not in fission

  18. Fission of one uranium-235 nucleus releases about 200 MeV. What is the energy released per nucleon, to two significant figures?

    • 8.5 MeV
    • 2.0 MeV
    • 0.85 MeV
    • 0.085 MeV

  19. The binding energy of deuterium is 2.2 MeV. What is the average binding energy per nucleon?

    • 2.2 MeV
    • 4.4 MeV
    • 0.55 MeV
    • 1.1 MeV

  20. Why does fusion of light nuclei release energy, using the binding energy per nucleon curve?

    • the nucleons are heavier after fusion, so energy is released
    • the fused nucleus has a lower average binding energy per nucleon, so energy is released
    • the electrons carry the released energy away from the nucleus
    • the fused nucleus has a higher average binding energy per nucleon, so the difference is released

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