A forces that act between the nucleons (i.e proton and neutron) inside the nucleus. This force is called the nuclear force.These forces are responsible to keep the nucleons bound inside the nucleus.
Nuclear force and its properties
Nuclear Force
Properties of Nuclear Force
There are the following properties of nuclear force is given below.
(i) These are strong nuclear forces otherwise protons cannot exist in the nucleus.
(ii) The intensity of these forces is very large. The intensity of nuclear force is maximum among, so far known forces.
(iii) It is not electrical in nature. If we assume them electrical forces, then the protons cannot reside in nucleus.
(iv) These forces do not depend on charge. The force acting between the nucleons (such as proton-proton, neutron-neutron and proton-neutron) is of same nature.
(v) These are not gravitational forces because the mass of the particles inside the nucleus is very small, while the magnitude of nuclear force is very large.
(vi) These forces are short range forces. They are confined inside the nucleus (i. e., $10^{-15} m$ equal to the diameter of nucleus). There is no existence of these forces outside the nucleus.
