Final answer:
The energy needed to separate one proton from the 12C nucleus is approximately 15.3603 MeV.
Step-by-step explanation:
To separate one proton from the 12C nucleus, we need to consider the nuclear binding energy. The nuclear binding energy is the amount of energy required to break apart a nucleus. In this case, we need to find the energy needed to separate one proton from the 12C nucleus.
The binding energy of the 12C nucleus is 92.162 MeV. This means that it would take 92.162 MeV of energy to separate all the protons and neutrons in the 12C nucleus. To find the energy needed to separate one proton, we can divide the binding energy by the number of protons in the 12C nucleus, which is 6.
So, the energy needed to separate one proton from the 12C nucleus is approximately 15.3603 MeV.