University Physics with Modern Physics (14th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321973615
ISBN 13: 978-0-32197-361-0

Chapter 43 - Nuclear Physics - Problems - Discussion Questions - Page 1474: Q43.2

Answer

Yes, it makes perfect sense.

Work Step by Step

The second term, as explained on page 1448, takes surface nucleons into account. As a nucleus gets larger, the ratio of surface nucleons to bulk nucleons gets smaller. This decreases the importance of the second term relative to the first term, which counts the total number of nucleons.
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