Page 60 - Radiochemistry and nuclear chemistry

Nuclear Mass and Stability 49

FIG. 3.3. Binding energy per nucleon (Es/A) for the most stable isobars as function of mass
number (A).

r = r o A 1/3 (3.7)

The implications of this is that the nucleus is composed of nucleons packed closely together
with a constant density (about 0.2 nucleons fm -3) from the center to the edge of the
nucleus. This constant density model of the nucleus has been shown to be not completely

FIG. 3.4. Experimentally measured charge and nuclear density values for 4~ and :x~i as
a function of the nuclear radius.