What causes a nucleus to become radioactive?
The strong nuclear force attracts and binds protons and makes the nucleus unstable.
The strong nuclear force is not large enough to overcome the electric force for large nuclei.
The strong nuclear force attracts and binds electrons and neutrons.
1 answer
When a nucleus becomes unstable due to an imbalance of protons and neutrons, it may release energy in the form of radioactivity as it seeks to achieve a more stable configuration. This can involve processes such as alpha decay, beta decay, or spontaneous fission.