Question

Identify the term being defined.


the force that keeps the nucleons bound inside the nucleus of an atom

the amount of energy needed to split the nucleus into individual protons and neutrons

the difference between the mass of the nucleons and the mass of the atom

Answer 1

1) The (strong) nuclear force (also called the residual strong force)
2) Nuclear binding energy (or simply binding energy)
3) Mass defect (mass deficit) — related to binding energy by E = Δm c².