Verified Solution • 2025–26 Session moderate

QPage 440: Q1: The Nucleus Solutions — HC Verma: Concepts of Physics - Volume 2

⚠️ Common Exam Traps & Conceptual Pitfalls

Students often assume that the strong nuclear attraction between neutrons is sufficient to form a stable nucleus, ignoring that isolated neutrons are unstable and undergo beta decay ($n \to p + e^- + \bar{\nu}_e$) with a half-life of approximately 10 minutes, which prevents the existence of a pure neutron nucleus.

If neutrons exert only attractive force, why don't we have a nucleus containing neutrons alone?

Step-by-Step Verified Solution

**Answer:** A nucleus containing only neutrons is not possible because neutrons are unstable when isolated and would undergo beta decay. **Step-by-Step Explanation:** A free neutron is unstable and decays into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino with a half-life of about 10 minutes. While neutrons attract each other via the strong nuclear force, a nucleus made solely of neutrons would not be stable because the beta decay of neutrons would convert them into protons. A stable nucleus requires a balance of protons and neutrons, where the strong force provides binding and the weak force governs beta decay[citation:1][citation:11].

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