What do neutrons do in the nucleus of an atom?
You’ll recall that the positively charged protons want to push everything apart because like charges repel each other. But in fusion, neutrons are always present to “add to the mix” and “chip in” with a little mass to generate the nuclear binding energy. In fact, neutrons could be said to have no other purpose. That’s because a neutron that is unbound is unstable and will decay into a proton and an electron. Use the link below to the related questions on WikiAnswers.
