Science Homework Help

Is the mass of an atomic nucleus greater or
less than the sum of the masses of the nucleons
composing it? Why don’t the nucleon masses
add up to the total nuclear mass?
1. More; other energies are contained in a
nucleus that the nucleon components don’t
have.
2. Less; work must be done to separate a
nucleus into its component nucleons.
3. More; a nucleus is larger than the sum of
the nucleon components.
4. Less; some electrons disappear when the
nucleon components form a nucleus.