Ask Ethan: Why don’t neutrons bind together?

Big Think ^ | NOVEMBER 10, 2023 | Ethan Siegel

[SunkenCiv]

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[Nateman]

This article has an annoying formatting issue. When expressing some large number , like , for example , a Mole of atoms, which is 6.02 times 10 to the 23 power , all you see is the digits all run together without any indication there are powers of ten involved!

[2001convSVT]

Great article, clearly states that the lower energy of p-n is lower than p-p or n-n.

[Nateman]

One interesting thing in this article was the chance of two protons colliding and actually end up sticking together as a proton neutron pair. If everyone on Earth was assigned the task of jamming two protons together with each attempt taking one second, it would take 40 years before somebody would have a single successful result. ( With no time off for sleeping, eating, or anything else!). In other words you have a much higher chance of winning a billion dollars in a lottery.