Problem Solutions For Introductory Nuclear Physics By Updated

A fatal mistake is reading a solution and thinking, "Ah, that makes sense." That is not learning. That is recognizing.

Instead, follow the "Reverse Krane Method" : A fatal mistake is reading a solution and

Concept: The mass of a nucleus is less than the sum of its parts. This "missing mass" is the Binding Energy ($B$) holding the nucleus together. Formulas: $$B = [Zm_p + Nm_n - m_\textnucleus]c^2$$ Or, using atomic masses (more common in problem sets): $$B = [Zm(^1\textH) + Nm_n - m(^A\textX)]c^2$$ Solution Strategy:

Solution Strategy:

Old way: Pen-and-paper Bateman solution (very tedious for 4+ chains). UPDATED Solution: A Python script using scipy.integrate.odeint. Old way: Pen-and-paper Bateman solution (very tedious for

# Simplified example from UPDATED solutions guide
def decay_chain(y, t, lambda_1, lambda_2):
    N1, N2, N3 = y
    dN1dt = -lambda_1 * N1
    dN2dt = lambda_1 * N1 - lambda_2 * N2
    dN3dt = lambda_2 * N2
    return [dN1dt, dN2dt, dN3dt]

Problem: Calculate the binding energy per nucleon for $^4\textHe$ (Helium-4). Data:

Solution: