memy

So, basically being bigger than the protons ( 1.675 X 10 - 27 kg) , they have more energy ( according to Einsten equation E=MC2) than the protons and therefore they decay into protons.....?

So, basically being bigger than the protons ( 1.675 X 10 - 27 kg) , they have more energy ( according to Einsten equation E=MC2) than the protons and therefore they decay into protons.....?

Why are protons more stable than neutrons? is it because protons are made of two 'up' quarks with charge 2/3 and one down quark with charge 1/3 while neutrons are made of two down quarks and one up quark? If yes, how this can explain the different stabilities of protons and neutrons? thank you

Hello, This is a question about radioactivity. Basically, nuclei decay since they are unstable in order to achieve the proton to neutron ratio that stable nuclei have. I was just wondering why nuclei that lie above the band of stability ( neutron rich ) are unstable.... I know that the nuclei that lie under the band of stability ( proton rich) are unstable since the repulsion between the protons is greater than the strong force and therefore decay by ejecting protons, but in the case of the neutron rich nuclei what makes them unstable? cheers