Multiple choice

What is meant by nuclear binding energy?

  1. Energy required to keep two fissile nuclei together

  2. Energy required to prevent a fissile nucleus from splitting

  3. Energy required to split a nucleus into its components

  4. Energy possessed by sub-nucleic particles
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C Correct answer
Explanation

Nuclear binding energy is the energy required to split a nucleus of an atom into its component parts. The component parts are neutrons and protons, which are collectively called nucleons. The binding energy of nuclei is always a positive number, since all nuclei require net energy to separate them into individual protons and neutrons.

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