Tömegdefektusnak

Tömegdefektusnak is a Hungarian term that translates to "mass defect" in English. It refers to the difference between the mass of a bound system, such as an atomic nucleus, and the sum of the masses of its constituent unbound particles. This phenomenon is a direct consequence of Einstein's famous equation, E=mc², which states that energy and mass are interchangeable.

When particles come together to form a more stable, bound system, some of their mass is converted into binding energy, which is released. This released energy is what holds the system together. Therefore, the mass of the bound system is always slightly less than the sum of the masses of the individual, unbound particles that formed it. This difference in mass is the mass defect.

For example, a helium-4 nucleus, composed of two protons and two neutrons, has a mass that is less than the combined mass of two free protons and two free neutrons. The missing mass has been converted into the binding energy that holds the nucleons together within the nucleus. This mass defect is a fundamental concept in nuclear physics and is crucial for understanding nuclear reactions, such as nuclear fission and fusion. The magnitude of the mass defect is directly proportional to the binding energy of the nucleus.