Question

(a) Write the characteristic properties of nuclear force.
(b) Draw a plot of potential energy of a pair of nucleons as a function of their separation. Write two important conclusions that can be drawn from the graph

Answer 1

$a)$ The characteristic properties of nuclear force -

i) The nuclear force is short-ranged strong attractive forces.

ii) The nuclear forces between proton-proton, proton-neutron and neutron-neutron are approximately same.

iii) The nuclear force is independent of electric charge.

$b)$ The potential energy (PE) vs separation graph is shown in the figure. The conclusions drawn from the graph are -

i) The nuclear force is a short-range force.

ii) The nuclear force is repulsive when the separation is less 1 fm $(1fermi={10}^{-15}m)$ and it is attractive when the separation is greater than 1 fm.