PHYS 3330 Module 3.1

Nuclear Structure and Stability

Recommended Reading

3.1: Nuclear Structure and StabilityDownload

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Differentiate between stable and unstable nuclides and understand the factors influencing their stability.
  • Describe the strong nuclear force and Coulomb force and how they interact within the nucleus.

Nuclear Structure and Stability

Interactive chart of the nuclides

Practice!

Practice 3.1.1
How many protons and neutrons does a nucleus designated as contain?
A. 20 neutrons and 20 protons
B. 22 protons and 18 neutrons
C. 18 protons and 22 neutrons
D. 18 protons and 40 neutrons
E. 40 protons and 18 neutrons
Check your answer: C. 18 protons and 22 neutrons
Practice 3.1.2
Iron has atomic number 26. Naturally mined iron contains isotopes of mass numbers 54, 56, 57, and 58. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. Every atom of iron has 26 protons
B. Some iron atoms have 30 neutrons
C. Some iron atoms have 54 neutrons
D. The isotopes may be separated in a mass spectrometer
E. There are four kinds of naturally occurring iron atoms with the same chemical properties
Practice 3.1.3
The nucleus of an atom has a radius of 5.61 × 10–15 m. If the nucleus contains 45 protons, how many neutrons does the nucleus contain?
A. 45
B. 57
C. 69
D. 84
E. 102