- #1
fandi.bataineh
- 8
- 0
i think i don't understand the nature of "Binding Energy" very well, and i have a very significant question
what iam really intersted in; is the nuclear binding energy, but i think (hopefuly iam right) that it has the same physical nature (NOT origin) as atomic and molecular binding energies.
first; i will try to put everything i know about this (nuclear binding energy) together in a simple example, if iam wrong in any way please correct me.
here's my example:
in the very simple case; when 2 -free or unbound- nucleons bind together to form a nuleus (like the case when 2 hydrogen nuclei -NOT deuterium or tritium, a hydrogen atom is a single proton- are fused to make a helium nucleus) they release some energy while they (the nucleons) switch to a higher binding energy state (higher binding energy per nucleon), and this energy can be calculated diretly from Einstein's famous equation E=m.c^2 if we know how much of the whole system's mass was lost -converted to energy- in the reaction.
what i don't understand is: why this amount of energy is released rather than being absorbed?
i know that my question might seem quite confusing, but as i think of it; switching from one energy (binding energy) state to another with HIGHER energy would require absorbing energy.
lets think of gravitational potential energy as an example; if you want to move an object to a higher-gravitational-potential-energy state; you have to do work on it, that is, the object must gain -or absorb- energy in the form of work done on it. we know that the strong nuclear force -which is responsible for keeping nucleons together in all nuclei- is an attractive force, just like the gravitational force, with huge differences in strength and range between the two fundamental forces. so why we don't work on nucleons in order to make them switch to higher energy states?
REMARK: all work done on protons -or hydrogen nuclei- to make them fuse to form larger nuclei; is acctually needed to overcome Coulomb's repulsive force between them before they enter the range of dominance of the strong nuclear force, this is why a huge amount of energy is needed to start a fusion reaction, like the hydrogen bomb.
or did i miss some fundamental conception here; maybe higher-BINDING-energy-state is different from higher-POTENTIAL-energy-state, or something like this
please answer me with clear logical concepts and ideas
what iam really intersted in; is the nuclear binding energy, but i think (hopefuly iam right) that it has the same physical nature (NOT origin) as atomic and molecular binding energies.
first; i will try to put everything i know about this (nuclear binding energy) together in a simple example, if iam wrong in any way please correct me.
here's my example:
in the very simple case; when 2 -free or unbound- nucleons bind together to form a nuleus (like the case when 2 hydrogen nuclei -NOT deuterium or tritium, a hydrogen atom is a single proton- are fused to make a helium nucleus) they release some energy while they (the nucleons) switch to a higher binding energy state (higher binding energy per nucleon), and this energy can be calculated diretly from Einstein's famous equation E=m.c^2 if we know how much of the whole system's mass was lost -converted to energy- in the reaction.
what i don't understand is: why this amount of energy is released rather than being absorbed?
i know that my question might seem quite confusing, but as i think of it; switching from one energy (binding energy) state to another with HIGHER energy would require absorbing energy.
lets think of gravitational potential energy as an example; if you want to move an object to a higher-gravitational-potential-energy state; you have to do work on it, that is, the object must gain -or absorb- energy in the form of work done on it. we know that the strong nuclear force -which is responsible for keeping nucleons together in all nuclei- is an attractive force, just like the gravitational force, with huge differences in strength and range between the two fundamental forces. so why we don't work on nucleons in order to make them switch to higher energy states?
REMARK: all work done on protons -or hydrogen nuclei- to make them fuse to form larger nuclei; is acctually needed to overcome Coulomb's repulsive force between them before they enter the range of dominance of the strong nuclear force, this is why a huge amount of energy is needed to start a fusion reaction, like the hydrogen bomb.
or did i miss some fundamental conception here; maybe higher-BINDING-energy-state is different from higher-POTENTIAL-energy-state, or something like this
please answer me with clear logical concepts and ideas