A certain nucleus containing 8 protons and 7 neutrons has a density ρ.Which of the following values would be closest to the expected value of the density of a nucleus having 51 protons and 69 neutrons?
A) 1.00 ρ
B) 1.85 ρ
C) 2.00 ρ
D) 2.14 ρ
E) 8.00 ρ

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nuclear density is approximately constant across different nuclei because the volume of a nucleus (which is related to its mass number, A = Z + N, where Z is the number of protons and N is the number of neutrons) increases proportionally with the number of nucleons. Therefore, a nucleus with 51 protons and 69 neutrons would have a similar density to a nucleus with 8 protons and 7 neutrons.

A Certain Nucleus Containing 8 Protons and 7 Neutrons Has