ENERGY 303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Uranium-233, Binding Energy, Strong Interaction
Document Summary
Strong force means there is an energy holding the nucleus together separating the protons and neutrons would require energy input. Energy is equivalent to mass: e = mc2. Total mass left after separating the n, p, and e from 12-carbon must account for the energy required to split these apart. The nucleus is made of positively charge protons, but we know that like charges repel each other so why doesn"t the nuclear fall apart? (think of them like opposing magnets) Yes, in principle, but the net effect is that you would actually lose energy by trying to split lighter nuclei. In fact, energy can be released by combining very light nuclei through fusion. Iron has the highest binding energy per nucleon so energetically, the move towards iron is favored. Binding energy per nucleon (proton + neutron) Iron (fe) is at the binding energy peak (most stable nucleus is 56fe) On the heavy side of iron, fission delivers energy.
