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Mass Defect & Binding Energy

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frog1944:
Hi,

I'm a bit confused about mass defect and binding energy. Is mass that was once there then "used" by the strong force to hold the nucleons together? Or is it emitted? Or what exactly happens to it?

Thanks

pikachu975:

--- Quote from: frog1944 on August 08, 2017, 08:16:21 pm ---Hi,

I'm a bit confused about mass defect and binding energy. Is mass that was once there then "used" by the strong force to hold the nucleons together? Or is it emitted? Or what exactly happens to it?

Thanks

--- End quote ---
It is converted to energy according to Einstein's energy mass equivalence, E = mc^2 (Joules units) or amu x 931.5 (MeV units). This energy is binding energy which holds the nucleus together and keeps it stable.

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