Explain why protons in the nucleus repel each other.

A research team is investigating the stability of different atomic nuclei. They observe that lighter elements such as helium-4 (2 protons, 2 neutrons) are very stable, while an unstable isotope such as beryllium-8 (4 protons, 4 neutrons) decays rapidly into two helium-4 nuclei. The team measures the binding energy per nucleon and notes that helium-4 has an unusually high value of 7.1 MeV per nucleon, whereas beryllium-8 has only 5.8 MeV per nucleon. Explain why protons in the nucleus repel each other and deduce how this repulsion influences the observed stability difference between helium-4 and beryllium-8.

A helium nucleus contains two protons confined within a region of approximately 1.7 × 10⁻¹⁵ m in diameter. Explain why these two protons experience a repulsive force despite being bound together in a stable nucleus.

A nucleus contains multiple protons confined within a very small volume of approximately \(10^{-15}\) m radius. Explain why protons in the nucleus repel each other and identify the force responsible for this repulsion.