Like what’s stops them at 118?
In: 0
An atom’s element is determined by how many protons it has, and you can only cram so many protons into an atomic nucleus. Protons are positively charged and repel each other, which would break up a nucleus if not for the much-stronger ‘nuclear force’ binding them together. Problem is, the range of the nuclear force is so extremely short that it has trouble reaching all the way across large nuclei. If a nucleus grows too big, a proton on one side will feel the electric repulsion from a proton on the other side, but not the attraction from the strong force, allowing the nucleus to fly apart.
Latest Answers