I recently rediscovered my interest in nuclear physics. It started with the question that I hadn’t asked since school:

How do neutrons prevent the protons in a nucleus from repelling each other?

The answer: They add to the weak force and effectively ‘shield’ the protons from each other. This works because the weak force is way stronger, but has only short reach.

But why does this force have only short reach? Gravity and electromagnetism get weaker, but never vanish with distance.

That’s because the weak force is mediated by particles that decay quickly.

Wait, what?

So now I’m looking for a textbook to explain these things in a more structured manner, from the ground up. But I also know that from a certain point onwards, physics becomes applied maths. So just any university textbook won’t do, since the math will quickly surpass my understanding.

Do you guys have any recommendations for a layman’s introduction to nuclear physics?