) . It illustrates the stability of atomic nuclei and explains why certain nuclear reactions—like fusion and fission—release energy. Peak Stability: The curve peaks around a mass number of to
Light nuclei move "up" the curve to become more stable by fusing together. This process powers stars like our Sun.
The shape of the curve dictates how we can extract energy from the atom:
), indicating that nuclear forces are "saturated" in mid-sized nuclei.
. Nuclei in this "iron peak" (notably and Nickel-62 ) are the most tightly bound and stable in the universe.
The curve of binding energy is a graph that plots against the atomic mass number (