What is the significance of the mass defect in a nucleus? (2023)

What is the significance of the mass defect in a nucleus? (2023)

Step 1: Understand that a nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons, which are called nucleons.
Step 2: Know that if you add up the masses of all the individual nucleons, you get a certain total mass.
Step 3: Measure the actual mass of the nucleus, which is usually less than the total mass of the individual nucleons.
Step 4: The difference between the total mass of the nucleons and the actual mass of the nucleus is called the mass defect.
Step 5: The mass defect is important because it shows how much mass has been converted into energy when the nucleus was formed.
Step 6: This energy is known as binding energy, which helps hold the nucleus together and indicates its stability.

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