Question

Nuclear forces are :

• A. attractive only
• B. repulsive only
• C. attractive or repulsive depending upon separation between the nucleons
• D. neither attractive nor repulsive

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

The nuclear force is the force between two or more nucleons. At typical nucleon separation ($1.3fm$) it is a very strong attractive force ($104N$). At much smaller separation between nucleons the force is very powerful repulsive, which keeps the nucleons at a certain average separation. Beyond about $1.3fm$ separation the force exponentially dies off to zero.