Are electronic and nuclear binding energies a + or - number?

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Mass deficit and nuclear binding energy are closely related concepts, with mass deficit representing the difference between the mass of a nucleus and the sum of its individual nucleons. Binding energy can be expressed in mass units, indicating that a higher binding energy correlates with a greater mass deficit. There is some confusion regarding sign conventions, as binding energy is often presented as negative in certain contexts, reflecting energy required to bind nucleons together. However, many sources in nuclear physics use a positive sign convention, which can lead to misunderstandings. Ultimately, both mass deficit and binding energy describe the same underlying relationship in nuclear stability.
geoelectronics
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What is the difference between nuclear binding energy and mass deficit?
Please explain the difference between mass deficit and nuclear binding energy and is there a relationship?

Thanks

Geo
 
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Mass deficit is binding energy in mass units.
 
Thank you. That makes sense to me.
Does that mean the binding energy is a negative number, so actually a higher number means more negative?

Thank you.
Geo
 
geoelectronics said:
Does that mean the binding energy is a negative number, so actually a higher number means more negative?

I have seen both sign conventions in the literature. Having it have a negative sign makes more sense to me, since it is energy that gets taken away from the system in order to put it into its bound state. But in, for example, the nuclear physics literature, it seems like the positive sign convention is much more common.
 
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OK Thank you. I have lived with the same confusion for decades.
I will go on assuming that if the mass is deficit, then the energy is deficit and the relationship is they are the same thing.

The missing negative sign was really confusing me.

thanks for your patience.

Geo

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Thread 'What type of energy is actually stored inside an atom?'

What type of energy is actually stored inside an atom? When an atom is split—such as in a nuclear explosion—it releases enormous energy, much of it in the form of gamma-ray electromagnetic radiation. Given this, is it correct to say that the energy stored in the atom is fundamentally electromagnetic (EM) energy? If not, how should we properly understand the nature of the energy that binds the nucleus and is released during fission?
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