Question

What effect would adding additional neutrons have on the forces in a nucleus?

Answer 1

Answer:

Force in nucleus will increase

Explanation:

As we know that all subatomic particles that is neutrons and protons are bounded together by strong nuclear force inside the nucleus as the distance between them is very small.

Since the Electrostatic force between protons is very small or negligible as we compare it with nuclear force so here we can say that if we add more number of protons in an atom then the repulsion force between them will increase and this will lead to decrease in stability of nucleus.

While if more number of neutrons are added in the nucleus then in that case there is no electrostatic force between then as they are neutral so that will lead to increase in more nuclear force which will increase the stability of nucleus.

Answer 2

If you take any large nucleus and add protons to it, the electrostatic repulsion between them will make the nucleus more unstable, because the electrostatic force between them is more repulsive at a greater distance than the strong force is attractive

So how come if you add more neutrons, which don't have a charge and so there is no electrostatic force, the nucleus still becomes more unstable?

Also why aren't there groups of neutrons bound together, so purely neutron nuclei (because they are neutral, I'm guessing they couldn't form atoms, because of the electrons needed for an atom)