Nuclear Binding and Half-Lives

Nuclear Forces. Protons give the nucleus of an atom a net positive charge. So, why doesn’t the nucleus explode? Nuclear stability is possible because the particles in the nucleus are each tiny magnets, and magnets can be arranged to attract one another. When the particles inside the nucleus have specific locations, the forces from electrical charge can be in balance with the magnetic forces from moving charge. But if the location of even one particle is sufficiently changed, the entire nucleus can become unstable.