Question

For lighter nuclei with \(A < 30\), the binding energy per nucleon is:

Options

• nearly constant at \(8.0\ \mathrm{MeV}\)

• less than \(8.0\ \mathrm{MeV}\)

• exactly \(8.0\ \mathrm{MeV}\)

• greater than \(8.0\ \mathrm{MeV}\)

Answer 1

Lighter nuclei (\(A < 30\)) lie outside the flat stable region of the curve, so their binding energy per nucleon is less than \(8.0\ \mathrm{MeV}\). This corresponds to lower stability, which is why the fusion of light nuclei releases energy as the products reach higher total binding energy.