A proton has a mass of 1.007 u. A deuterium nucleus has a mass of 2.014 u. Helium-3 can be formed when a proton and a deuterium nucleus combine and has a mass of 3.016 u.
- How much mass, in kg, is converted to energy when a proton and a deuterium nucleus combine to form helium-3? For your answer, note that 1 u = 1.66 × 10⁻²⁷ kg.
- Use the famous equation E = mc² to calculate the energy in joules produced from the mass lost when helium-3 is formed. Note that m is mass and c is the speed of light, or 3.0 × 10⁸ m/s.