Nuclear structure

Nuclear structure is all about understanding the tiny particles that make up the nucleus of an atom. Now, imagine a big, round balloon that is made up of hundreds of small marbles. Each marble has a tiny little charge on it - either positive or negative.

Atoms are a bit like those balloons, but instead of marbles, they have two types of particles that make up their nucleus: protons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge, while neutrons have no charge.

Now, just like how magnets are attracted to one another, positive charges are attracted to negative charges. So every proton in the nucleus of an atom is attracted to each other, trying to stick together.

But there is another force at play here too. It's called the strong nuclear force, and it's even stronger than the electromagnetic force that tries to repel the protons from one another. This force pulls protons and neutrons together, holding them in a tight little group we call the nucleus.

Now, nuclei can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Again, just like those balloons, they can be big or small, they can have more or less protons and neutrons. Sometimes, if you add or take away a proton or a neutron, the atom will become unstable and will try to adjust by releasing a little bit of energy - this is called radiation.

Scientists who study nuclear structure try to understand how these particles fit together, which shapes are more stable, and what happens when they start to break apart. It's a bit like trying to put together an incredibly tiny, complicated puzzle - but it's an important puzzle to solve, because nuclear reactions can have big consequences for our world.