Engineering Physics

CHAPTER 17

Nuclear Physics

17.1 Nuclear liquid drop model

In 1936, Niels Bohr proposed liquid drop model to explain nuclear fission. According to this model, the nucleus is analogous to a drop of liquid. The similarities between drop of liquid and nucleus are as follows:

1. The force that holds the molecules of a drop together is similar to the short-range nuclear force that binds the nucleons in a nucleus.
2. The surface tension forces act on the molecules, so the drop appears spherical in shape. Similarly, the short-range nuclear force makes the nucleus to be spherical in shape.
3. The density of a liquid drop and a nucleus is independent of their volumes. The nucleus is incompressible and hence the density of all the nuclei is the same.
4. The liquid ...