Exam-style question
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What causes some nuclei to be unstable?.
- A.An imbalance in the number of protons and neutrons
- B.A high number of electrons surrounding the nucleus
- C.The presence of too many neutrons only
- D.A lack of energy in the nucleus
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- An imbalance in the number of protons and neutrons
Explanation
Why this works
An imbalance in the number of protons and neutrons causes instability in nuclei. This occurs because the strong nuclear force, which holds protons and neutrons together, is not sufficient to overcome the repulsive electromagnetic force between protons when there are too many or too few neutrons.
The effect of this instability is that the nucleus may undergo radioactive decay, leading to the emission of radiation and the transformation into a more stable configuration.
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