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Forces in the Nucleus

Stable nuclei do not disintegrate. The strong nuclear force holds the nucleons together. The strong nuclear force overcomes the electrostatic force of repulsion between the protons in the nucleus and keeps the neutrons and protons together.The range of the strong nuclear force is about the diameter of a small nucleus and acts equally between neutrons and protons.In comparison, the range of the electrostatic force is infinite and acts only on the protons.

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Specification: AQA Physics (7407), AS-level, 3.2.1.2 Stable and unstable nuclei. Topic: Particles and Radiation.

Key terms in this lesson

Antiparticle
A particle with the same rest mass as its corresponding particle but with opposite charge and opposite values of other quantum properties.
Hadron
A particle made up of quarks that interacts through the strong interaction; hadrons are divided into baryons and mesons.
Potential difference
The energy transferred per unit charge as charge moves between two points in a circuit.

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