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    Binding Energy Worksheet

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    rexvoy
    The binding energy of a nucleus is the minimum energy required to separate its nucleons. More stable nuclei have higher binding energies per nucleon. Binding energy can be calculated from the mass defect using E=mc^2 and comparing it to the number of nucleons. A graph of binding energy per nucleon shows it levels off above A=20, with some nuclei like He-4 being more stable. Iron-56 has the highest binding energy per nucleon of naturally occurring nuclei. Fission and fusion processes are favored when they result in configurations with higher binding energy per nucleon.

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    Binding Energy Worksheet

    Uploaded by

    rexvoy
    267 views2 pages
    The binding energy of a nucleus is the minimum energy required to separate its nucleons. More stable nuclei have higher binding energies per nucleon. Binding energy can be calculated from the mass defect using E=mc^2 and comparing it to the number of nucleons. A graph of binding energy per nucleon shows it levels off above A=20, with some nuclei like He-4 being more stable. Iron-56 has the highest binding energy per nucleon of naturally occurring nuclei. Fission and fusion processes are favored when they result in configurations with higher binding energy per nucleon.

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    The binding energy of a nucleus is the minimum energy required to separate its nucleons. More stable nuclei have higher binding energies per nucleon. Binding energy can be calculated from the mass defect using E=mc^2 and comparing it to the number of nucleons. A graph of binding energy per nucleon shows it levels off above A=20, with some nuclei like He-4 being more stable. Iron-56 has the highest binding energy per nucleon of naturally occurring nuclei. Fission and fusion processes are favored when they result in configurations with higher binding energy per nucleon.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    267 views2 pages

    Binding Energy Worksheet

    Uploaded by

    rexvoy
    The binding energy of a nucleus is the minimum energy required to separate its nucleons. More stable nuclei have higher binding energies per nucleon. Binding energy can be calculated from the mass defect using E=mc^2 and comparing it to the number of nucleons. A graph of binding energy per nucleon shows it levels off above A=20, with some nuclei like He-4 being more stable. Iron-56 has the highest binding energy per nucleon of naturally occurring nuclei. Fission and fusion processes are favored when they result in configurations with higher binding energy per nucleon.

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    Binding Energy The minimum energy needed to pull a nucleus apart into its separate nucleons is known as the

    binding energy of the nucleus


    Some nuclei are more stable than others. In order to pull a nucleus apart, energy needs to be put in, in order to pull the nucleus apart, work must be done against the strong nuclear force. The more energy that is involved in this, the more stable the nucleus. This is not energy stored in the nucleus, it is the energy that must be put in to pull it apart. To compare the stability of different nuclides: Work out the nucleus' mass defect (compare its overall mass to that of its constituent parts) Use E=mc to determine the binding energy (multiply mass defect by c) Divide the binding energy of the nucleus by the number of nucleons to work out binding energy per nucleon.

    This is a graph which shows binding energy per nucleon for some nuclei. For nuclides with an A value greater than 20 there is not much variation in binding energy per nucleon. Some nuclei, such as He-4 are more stable, and lie off the main curve. These can all be thought of as alpha particles tightly packed together. Iron-56 is the most stable nucleus found in nature.

    The binding energy graph can be used to help decide which nuclear processes fission, fusion, radioactive decay - are likely to occur:

    Fission: When a massive nucleus splits, two smaller fragments are formed. e.g. Uranium has an 'A' value of 235, and splits into fragments of A=140 and 95. These fragments have a greater binding energy per nucleon than the original nucleus, therefore energy is released. Fusion: If two light nuclei fuse, the final binding energy per nucleon is greater than the original value.

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