On: Physicists may now have a way to make element 120

[vikingerik]

Think of three protons in a line, A-B-C. Proton B is repelled in both directions so experiences no net force.

Now think of 10^50 protons in a line. They're all experiencing net gravity towards the middle.

[wakamoleguy → vikingerik]

A is repelled outward, B is not repelled, C is repelled outward.

With gravity, A is attracted inward, B is not attracted, C is attracted inward.

[mrb → vikingerik]

Your idea doesn't generalize. With A-B-C-D-E, only C experiences no net forces along the horizontal axis, while all the others (A, B, D, E) are repelled outward. Therefore the electromagnetic force is not cancelled as you seem to imply.

Of course, in practice, we don't know what the inside of a black hole is like, as quantum gravity is very much unsolved.

[kaashif → vikingerik]

Okay, but A and B are both repelled outward and it explodes.

So the conclusion is any proton star would just explode? That's what I already thought.