Draw a plot of potential energy between a pair of nucleons as a function of their separation. Mark the regions where potential energy is (i) positive and (ii) negative.
The potential energy (PE) vs separation graph is shown in figure. From the graph
(i) the nuclear force is repulsive when the separation is less 1 fm (1fermi = 10−15m).
(ii) It is attractive when the separation is greater than 1 fm.
