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Questions tagged [binding-energy]

Please use binding energy in the context of the atomic scale and/or atomic systems. This can be used in nuclear reactions.

0 votes
0 answers
32 views

Calculating Binding Energy of Th 230 nucleus [duplicate]

Ok this is NOT a homework question. But it’s somewhat related. Please bear with me. In calculating BE of Th 230, I used the rest mass of proton as 1.007276u and rest mass of neutron as 1.008665u (as ...
esdoublelef's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can a big mass defect make the mass negative?

Can two particles with small masses and a strong attractive interaction have a total negative mass when brought together? Let $m_1, m_2$ be the (rest) masses of two particles when infinitely distant. ...
HomoVafer's user avatar
  • 410
2 votes
1 answer
95 views

Why is the mass-energy graph for atomic mass $A=98$ not quadratic?

For fixed atomic mass $A$ and varying atomic number $Z,$ the mass of the nucleus is quadratic in $Z$. Were it possible for $Z$ to vary continuously, we'd have at most one local minimum. Since we are ...
Display name's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
65 views

Why does the mass-energy equivalence apply to binding energy when it is derived purely through kinematic means?

I understand that by defining the four velocity, multiplying it by the rest mass and taking the entire thing's norm we get $E^2=m^2+p^2$, but how does this apply to binding energy, or in general ...
Y G's user avatar
  • 75
1 vote
1 answer
95 views

Why does fission of large nuclei always result in energy released?

When large nuclei undergo fission, the binding energy per nucleon of products is greater than the binding energy of the original nuclei. This only happens (with certainty) when the products are Iron-...
Caleb Seow's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
69 views

Why does binding energy of particles, which constitutes most of macroscopic mass, make them harder to accelerate?

I've seen a lot of questions on this topic so please don't misunderstand, I understand E = mc^2 and SEMF and so on. I specifically want to know how internal forces within lets say a nucleus make it ...
Rok M.Vahtar's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
40 views

Can electrons or protons due to fusion reduce in their individual mass?

It's a ridiculous question, but that's why I am asking it after getting confused over a paragraph about nuclear fusion in my textbook. The total mass of a stable nucleus is slightly less than the ...
HBP's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
1 answer
87 views

Must a very large nucleus be spherical?

As we do know, residual nuclear force has short distance action so there is no total center to rim nuclear force aggregation inside the nucleus as in the case of for example gravitation in the case of ...
Krešimir Bradvica's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
463 views

Why does critical mass for radioactive isotopes seem to have little relation to half-life?

I understand that too short a half-life and flash point, becomes kind of meaningless, if the element generates too much heat, so this only applies to longer half-lives. Also, as I understand it, flash ...
userLTK's user avatar
  • 5,678
1 vote
1 answer
116 views

Binding energy of Hydrogen = 0 = 13.6 ${\rm eV}$? [closed]

I was solving nuclear physics today.I used the binding energy formula on hydrogen.I found that B=0.But,B is also,as mentioned in my textbook,13.6eV. How?
CODE_FOR_PURSUIT's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is there proof for: "Elements heavier than iron will decay to iron by processes such as fission and alpha emission"?

Freeman J. Dyson in his "Time without end: Physics and biology in an open universe", Lecture 2: Physics, part G: All matter decays to iron, claimed that on a long enough time scale "...
Sourabh Choudhary's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
64 views

How can a proton be stable if binding energy *increases* it's mass? [duplicate]

A hydrogen atom weighs 13.6eV less than a proton + electron. This missing energy, which is tiny compared to the rest mass of almost a GeV, was carried off by a photon when the atom formed. Nuclei show ...
Kevin Kostlan's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
92 views

$Q$-value (nuclear)

I'm studying principles of physics. I have a question. In my book, they seem to have calculated the Q value in different ways. $$ \begin{align} \rm p + {^{27}_{13}Al} &\rightarrow \rm{^{27}_{14}Si}...
SungJin Park's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
730 views

Do orbits with positive energy tend to infinity?

Consider any potential field $$V = V(x)$$ (not limited to gravitational potential field, but we only consider time-independent ones) in 3-d space that satisfies the following conditions: The ...
Cirno09's user avatar
  • 43
4 votes
1 answer
166 views

If the fine-structure constant was very large could positronium have negative mass?

Positronium is an atom with one electron and one positron. It's mass is 1.022MeV which is almost twice the electron mass: The ground-state (1S orbital) binding energy of -6.8eV reduces the total mass ...
Kevin Kostlan's user avatar

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