Assertion : Binding energy per nucleon is nearly constant for element in the range $A=30$ to $A=170$

Question

Assertion : Binding energy per nucleon is nearly constant for element in the range $A=30$ to $A=170$. \ Reason: The nuclear force between two nucleons falls rapidly to zero as their distance is more than a few femtometres.

Professor PC Thomas Classes · Answer

(a) : The nuclear force between two nucleons falls rapidly to zero as their distance is more than a few femtometers. This leads to saturation of forces in a medium or a large-sized nucleus, which is the reason for the constancy of the binding energy per nucleon.