Question

Which of the following nuclei is most stable based on its binding energy?

Answer 1

We have that the most stable nuclei are the ones with the highest average binding energy. We see that Nitrogen has a mass number of 15 and that in this region of the graph average binding energy is low. Silver and Gold are along a line where there is a constant decline in average binding energy; silver has more than gold. However, we see that at the start of this decline, there is Fe 56. This region has the elements with the highest average binding energy; Nickel with a mass number of 58 is right there and thus it is the most stable nucleus out of the listed ones.