The strong force binds together the protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei. Neutrons are electrically neutral—hence the name—but they feel the strong force just like protons. They play a crucial role in the nuclear tug-of-war between electrical repulsion and strong force attraction, aiding the latter without affecting the former. While the strong force isn’t quite strong enough to keep two protons together by itself, adding a neutron to the mix increases the “stickiness” of the strong force without adding any electrical charge, creating a stable atomic nucleus of two protons and one neutron
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Atomic nucleus structure
