1 On Stability of Atomic Orbitals and a New Theory of Nuclear Forces 06 November 2021 Abstract Quantum mechanics (QM ) only gives a partial explanation of the stability of atomic orbitals. QM says that the electrons in an atom exist only in stable, discrete, allowable orbits. But it doesn‟t tell us how the electron enters such stable orbit in the first place and how it stays there indefinitely. The stability of the nucleus is also one of the unsolved mysteries in physics. What is the force holding protons together in the nucleus, overcoming the tremendous electrostatic repulsive force between them? The strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force, two of the supposed four fundamental forces in the universe, have been invented to explain nuclear forces. This paper reveals a new theory on how protons can exist together in the nucleus without invoking any kind of new „force‟. The „weak force‟ naturally arises from the new explanation for the „strong force‟. Introduction Physics tells us that there are four fundamental forces in the universe: electromagnetic, gravitational, the strong nuclear and the weak nuclear forces. These forces are thought to be fundamentally different from each other and professional physicists are satisfied with this description. However, such description is not satisfactory to the casual observer or to an amateur researcher who is not used to the mainstream thinking. Inventing a fundamentally different kind of force or particle whenever physicists fail to explain some phenomena is not the same as discovering a novel idea or a novel way of combining existing knowledge. Another example of the unsatisfactory state of current physics regards atomic orbitals. Quantum Mechanics ( QM ) tells us that electrons in an atom exist only in those stable, discrete orbits with radius such that the circumference of the orbit is an integral multiple of the electron wavelength. However, QM doesn‟t tell us how an electron enters such orbit in the first place; it just assumes that the electron enters its stable orbit by itself. QM doesn‟t address the fact that for an electron to stay in its stable orbit indefinitely, an almost infinite initial fine tuning is required. QM doesn‟t tell us how an electron stays in its orbit despite possible perturbations such as by random incident photons or random collisions of the atom with other atoms . It assumes that the electron absorbs Henok Tadesse Email: entkidmt@yahoo.com Electrical engineer, BSc, Debrezeit, Ethiopia, Mobile:+251 910 75 13 39 Alternate email: wchmar@gmail.com