What are nucleons?
The protons and neutrons collectively present in the nucleus of an atom are called nucleons. The nucleons occupy very small space inside the nucleus.
What are nuclear forces?
Nuclear forces are attractive forces which exist in between protons and neutrons, neutron and neutron, proton and proton. It is the strongest force. It is much stronger than gravitational and electrostatic forces due to positive charge on protons. The idea of nuclear forces arises from the fact that which hold the nucleons together in the nucleus. These forces are effective or can be operated within small distances ranging from 0.10 – 0.11 fermi. Therefore, these are also called short range forces. Inverse square law is not followed by nuclear forces.
