I’m trying to simply things in dummy terms so I remember it easier rather than memorizing a definition I want to understand it on a basic level. A Neutron is an uncharged elementary particle that equals a protons mass in a nucleus this stabilizing it, I also know that in an atom there has to be equal amounts of neutrons and protons, and that the neutrons act as a sort of binder, so what sort of analogy or explanation could be used to describe it? Does a Neutron sort of act like the Mortar for a Brick Structure? Or like the glue that keeps protons from falling apart?
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Think of it as glue. Neutrons hold the nucleus together using the strong nuclear force which overcomes the repulsive electromagnetic force between the protons.
There doesn’t need to be the same number of neutrons as protons in a nucleus. In some cases they two are equal (e.g the most common isotopes of helium and carbon have 2 and 6 protons respectively as well as 2 and 6 neutrons each).
But for lighter elements you can have fewer neutrons (such as the rarer isotope helium 3 with two protons but only one neutron), but it is more common to have more neutrons than protons (e.g carbon 14 which has six protons and eight neutrons).
As you move to heavier elements, an ever greater proportion of neutrons are required to overcome the repulsive forces of the protons. By the time you get to uranium you need 146 neutrons to hold the nucleus together from the force of 92 protons – and even then, the nucleus is barely stable.
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