The mass defect is the result of what action occurring?

energy being converted into moles of atoms when neutrons break apart protons

mass being converted to energy when protons and neutrons bind together in a nucleus

mass being converted to energy when protons and neutrons break apart in a nucleus

protons and electrons being attracted to each other

strong forces overcoming weak forces

I believe the answer is:

mass being converted to energy when protons and neutrons bind together in a nucleus

this happen when The mass of a nucleus is lesser than the sum of the individual masses of the free constituent neutrons and protons. When this happened, energy would be released as the nucleus is formed, and this is what is known as the mass defect.

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