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Understanding the Atomic Nucleus

The nucleus was discovered in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford and contains positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. In 1920, Rutherford proposed the name proton and theorized there was a neutral particle, which James Chadwick confirmed as the neutron in 1932. The nucleus contains virtually all the atom's mass and is held together by the strong force, which overcomes the electrical repulsion between protons. Some unstable nuclei decay into other elements over time.

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Roscela Mae D. Arizo
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24 views1 page

Understanding the Atomic Nucleus

The nucleus was discovered in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford and contains positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. In 1920, Rutherford proposed the name proton and theorized there was a neutral particle, which James Chadwick confirmed as the neutron in 1932. The nucleus contains virtually all the atom's mass and is held together by the strong force, which overcomes the electrical repulsion between protons. Some unstable nuclei decay into other elements over time.

Uploaded by

Roscela Mae D. Arizo
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Nucleus

The nucleus was discovered in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford, a physicist from New
Zealand. In 1920, Rutherford proposed the name proton for the positively charged
particles of the atom. He also theorized that there was a neutral particle within the
nucleus, which James Chadwick, a British physicist and student of Rutherford's,
was able to confirm in 1932.
Virtually all the mass of an atom resides in its nucleus, according to Chemistry
LibreTexts. The protons and neutrons that make up the nucleus are approximately
the same mass (the proton is slightly less) and have the same angular momentum,
or spin.
The nucleus is held together by the strong force, one of the four basic forces in
nature. This force between the protons and neutrons overcomes the repulsive
electrical force that would otherwise push the protons apart, according to the rules
of electricity. Some atomic nuclei are unstable because the binding force varies for
different atoms based on the size of the nucleus. These atoms will then decay into
other elements, such as carbon-14 decaying into nitrogen-14.

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