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Jarfi
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The quarks in neutrons have opposide charges and therefore they should attract, but why don't they just fall into each other. Is it the Heisenberg principle or degeneracy pressure?
Jarfi said:The quarks in neutrons have opposide charges and therefore they should attract, but why don't they just fall into each other. Is it the Heisenberg principle or degeneracy pressure?
Quarks are subatomic particles that make up protons and neutrons, which are found in the nucleus of atoms. Neutrons are made up of three quarks, specifically two down quarks and one up quark.
Quarks are held together by the strong nuclear force, which is stronger than the force of repulsion between the quarks. This force is also responsible for holding together the nucleus of an atom. As long as the strong force is stronger than the repulsive force, the quarks will not annihilate.
If the strong force were to suddenly become weaker or if the repulsive force were to become stronger, the quarks in a neutron could potentially annihilate. However, this is highly unlikely given the current understanding of the strong force and the stability of neutrons in our universe.
The difference between a proton and a neutron is that a proton contains two up quarks and one down quark, while a neutron contains two down quarks and one up quark. This slight difference in the arrangement of quarks results in the proton being stable, while the neutron is only stable when it is bound in the nucleus of an atom.
The strong nuclear force, also known as the strong interaction, is the force responsible for binding the quarks together in both neutrons and protons. This force is incredibly strong, making it nearly impossible for the quarks to break apart and annihilate each other.