Binding Energy Per Nucleon in Heavy Nuclei – Rankers Physics

Nucleus: Practice Problem & Solution

Assertion (A): The binding energy per nucleon, for nuclei with atomic mass number \( A > 100 \) decreases with \( A \). Reason (R): The nuclear forces become weaker for heavier nuclei.  
Both (A) & (R) are true and the (R) is the correct explanation of the (A)
Both (A) & (R) are true but the (R) is not the correct explanation of the (A)
(A) is true but (R) is false
Both (A) and (R) are false

Solution Explained:

To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Nucleus. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:

The binding energy per nucleon peaks around \( A=60 \) and decreases for heavier nuclei due to increasing Coulomb repulsion, which effectively weakens the average nuclear force per nucleon. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) correctly explains (A).

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