Binding Energy per Nucleon (Fusion vs Fission)
Trace the curve that explains where nuclear energy comes from — see why fusing light nuclei and splitting heavy ones both release energy, and check the energy of a specific reaction against the curve.
What you can adjust
- Reaction
- 0 – 3
- Highlight mass number (A)
- 1 – 240
- Show measured reference points
- 0 – 1
Pick a reaction to check against the curve — fusing light nuclei (D+T), splitting a heavy one (U-235 fission), running the carbon-forming triple-alpha process backwards, or 'reacting' iron-56 with itself (no energy gain — it already sits at the curve's peak).
Marks this mass number on the curve and reads off its binding energy per nucleon. Defaults to 56 (iron), right at the curve's peak.
Plot real measured binding energies (AME2020) as reference dots alongside the formula curve — useful since the formula is known to under/over-shoot for very light nuclei.