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

[geoelectronics]

TL;DR

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

 

[PeterDonis]

Mass deficit is binding energy in mass units.

 

[geoelectronics]

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

 

[PeterDonis]

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.

 

[geoelectronics]

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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