A Nucleus with Binding Energy $E_{b 1}$ Fuses with One Having Binding Energy

Multiple Choice

A nucleus with binding energy $E_{b 1}$ fuses with one having binding energy $E_{b 2}$ . The resulting nucleus has binding energy $E_{b 3}$ . What is the total energy released in this fusion reaction?

A) $E_{b 1}+E_{b 2}-E_{b 3}$
B) $E_{b 3}-E_{b 1}-E_{b 2}$
C) $E_{b 3}+E_{b 1}+E_{b 2}$
D) $-E_{b 3}-E_{b 1}-E_{b 2}$
E) One cannot answer without more information.