= Bethe–Slater curve
{wiki=Bethe–Slater_curve}
The Bethe–Slater curve is a concept in nuclear physics that illustrates the relationship between the binding energy of a nucleus and the number of nucleons (protons and neutrons) it contains. Named after physicists Hans Bethe and John C. Slater, the curve highlights a key feature of nuclear forces: while nucleons attract each other, especially when they are close together, the binding energy per nucleon generally varies with the number of nucleons in a nucleus.
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