Mass-Energy:
Einstein showed that mass is another form of energy and one can convert mass-energy into other form of energy.
E = mc²
Where, E=energy, m=mass and c is speed of light.
Nuclear Binding Energy:
The energy with which nucleons are bound in the nucleus is called nuclear binding energy.
The main cause of binding energy is mass defect.
#The sum of the masses of neutrons and protons (nucleons) forming a nucleus is more than the actual mass of the nucleus is known as mass defect.
If certain number of neutrons and protons are brought together to form a nucleus of a certain charge and mass, an energy Eb will be released in the process. Energy Eb is called binding energy of the nucleus.
Thus, the binding energy of a nucleus is equivalent to the mass defect of the nucleus.
If we separate a nucleus into its nucleons, We would have to supply a total energy equal to Eb, then from Einstein equation [E = ∆mc²].
Where ∆m is mass defect
Average Binding Energy Per Nucleon of Nucleus:
