3 ms·

It seems others have already answered you, but just in case: something can't "increase all the way up" and "peak" in the middle. Below iron fusing nucleons giv

• Gauge_Irrahphe 5y ago
  >If binding energy increased all the way up you wouldn't be able to have nuclear fission. You would, because the smaller nuclides have higher total binding energy than the large nuclides. That doesn't contradict every step inbetween being favorable. You are adding hydrogen with zero binding energy.
  • azernik 5y ago
    > Smaller nuclides have higher total binding energy than the large nuclides i.e. total binding energy literally goes down as you get to larger nuclides. > That doesn't contradict every step inbetween being favorable. Yes, it does. Energy is strictly additive. > You are adding hydrogen with zero binding energy. Exactly. You are taking a bare nucleon, with zero binding energy, adding it to a system, and reducing the total binding energy (i.e. increasing the potential energy of the system). By conservation of mass-energy, this requires you to put in energy, and increases the total mass of the system.
    • Gauge_Irrahphe 5y ago
      >total binding energy literally goes down as you get to larger nuclides. No, it goes up. Iron-56: 492.26 MeV Uranium-238: 1801.7 MeV