What force keeps protons and neutrons bound within the nucleus?

What force keeps protons and neutrons bound within the nucleus?

• A. Electromagnetic force
• B. Weak nuclear force
• C. Gravitational force
• D. Strong nuclear forces

Answer: (D)

The force that keeps protons and neutrons bound in the nucleus is the strong nuclear force. This interaction is incredibly powerful at extremely short distances—about the size of a nucleus—so it can hold nucleons together despite the electromagnetic repulsion between positively charged protons. It acts on both protons and neutrons and is the residual effect of the fundamental force that binds quarks inside those nucleons. The electromagnetic force would otherwise push protons apart, while gravity is negligible at the atomic scale and the weak nuclear force governs certain decays rather than binding. So the strong nuclear force is the reason the nucleus stays intact.

The force that keeps protons and neutrons bound in the nucleus is the strong nuclear force. This interaction is incredibly powerful at extremely short distances—about the size of a nucleus—so it can hold nucleons together despite the electromagnetic repulsion between positively charged protons. It acts on both protons and neutrons and is the residual effect of the fundamental force that binds quarks inside those nucleons. The electromagnetic force would otherwise push protons apart, while gravity is negligible at the atomic scale and the weak nuclear force governs certain decays rather than binding. So the strong nuclear force is the reason the nucleus stays intact.