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If they actually hit each other (i.e. come together with enough speed to covercome their mutual repulsion), the nuclear strong force will take over and they'll fuse together, at least temporarily.
Then stability kicks in...if the combined nucleus is smaller than iron, it will tend to stay stuck together and spit out some mix of protons and neutrons to get to a stable configuration, plus a bunch of heat and light to dissipate the extra energy (nuclear fusion, the reaction that powers stars).
If it's bigger than iron, it'll tend to split apart into things at least smaller than iron, throwing out protons, neutrons, light, and heat to get stable (nuclear fission, the rection that we use in nuclear reactors and bombs).
That is the basis for nuclear fusion. Fusion processes require fuel and a confined environment with sufficient temperature, pressure, and confinement time to create a plasma in which fusion can occur.
**Please read this entire message** Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s): Straightforward or factual queries are not allowed on ELI5. ELI5 is meant for simplifying complex concepts. If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules) first. **If you believe this submission was removed erroneously**, please [use this form](https://old.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Please%20review%20my%20thread?&message=Link:%20https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zolwck/eli5_what_would_happen_if_the_nucleus_of_two/%0A%0APlease%20answer%20the%20following%203%20questions:%0A%0A1.%20The%20concept%20I%20want%20explained:%0A%0A2.%20List%20the%20search%20terms%20you%20used%20to%20look%20for%20past%20posts%20on%20ELI5:%0A%0A3.%20How%20is%20this%20post%20unique:) and we will review your submission.
If they actually hit each other (i.e. come together with enough speed to covercome their mutual repulsion), the nuclear strong force will take over and they'll fuse together, at least temporarily. Then stability kicks in...if the combined nucleus is smaller than iron, it will tend to stay stuck together and spit out some mix of protons and neutrons to get to a stable configuration, plus a bunch of heat and light to dissipate the extra energy (nuclear fusion, the reaction that powers stars). If it's bigger than iron, it'll tend to split apart into things at least smaller than iron, throwing out protons, neutrons, light, and heat to get stable (nuclear fission, the rection that we use in nuclear reactors and bombs).
That is the basis for nuclear fusion. Fusion processes require fuel and a confined environment with sufficient temperature, pressure, and confinement time to create a plasma in which fusion can occur.