Nucleus - Physics



The positively charged central core of an atom, consisting of protons and neutrons and containing nearly all its mass.

The diameter of the nucleus is in the range of 1.75 fm (1.75 × 10−15 m) for hydrogen (the diameter of a single proton) to about 15 fm for the heaviest atoms, such as uranium. These dimensions are much smaller than the diameter of the atom itself (nucleus + electron cloud), by a factor of about 23,000 (uranium) to about 145,000 (hydrogen).

The branch of physics concerned with the study and understanding of the atomic nucleus, including its composition and the forces which bind it together, is called nuclear physics.

Understanding nuclear physics is crucial to many current materials, such as Compacted Ultronit.