The stable nuclides of elements containing a small number of nucleons generally have neutron-to-proton (n/p) ratios that are very close to one.

The stable nuclides of elements containing a small number of nucleons generally have neutron-to-proton (n/p) ratios that are very close to one. Explain why the neutron-to-proton ratio for stable nuclides generally increases (i.e., becomes greater than one) as the number of nucleons increases.