Explanation

When a proton and anti-proton annihilate, the energy release is equal to the sum of their rest mass energies.

The rest mass energy of a proton (or anti-proton) is approximately:

E = mc²

= (1.67 × 10⁻²⁷ kg) × (3 × 10⁸ m/s)²

≈ 1.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ J

Since both the proton and anti-proton annihilate, the total energy release is:

E_total = 2 × 1.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ J

≈ 3 × 10⁻¹⁰ J