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why protons attract each other inside a nucleus?

Electrically the protons repel each other. So what keeps them united is that there is a stronger force between nucleons - protons and neutrons. This force is called the strong force. The strong force between two protons is not strong enough to keep them together (against the electrostatic force); but if there are some neutrons present, the situation changes, because the strong force acts between protons, but also between protons and neutrons.


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