The dependence of binding energy per nucleon, `B_N` on the mass number, `A` is represented by.
(a) , (b) ,
( c) , (d) .

Options

A. .
B. .
C. .
D. .

Answer

B

Explanation

(b) From the concept of binding energy, the binding energy per nucleon increases on an average and reaches a maximum of about `8.7 MeV` per nucleon for `A = 50 - 80` and generally a peak is found for `._26 Fe^56`, which is an iron isotope. This is also the most stable nucleus form all them because it has even number of protons (26) and even number of neutrons (30) i.e., even-even pair.
Stability of iron can also be judged from the fact that, maximum energy is needed to pull a nucleus away from it. Also it has even number of protons and neutrons, hence it is most stable.