The conversation between human and AI assistant.
Do protons and neutrons in nucleus have the same mass as when they are free, or is their mass larger/smaller due to mass defect?
That's interesting. Can you explain how this mass defect happens?
Sure. The mass defect occurs because of the strong force that holds the nucleus together. Protons and neutrons in the nucleus are constantly attracted to one another by the strong force, but this force requires energy to maintain. The binding energy that holds the nucleus together actually slightly reduces the mass of the nucleus compared to the combined mass of its individual protons and neutrons.