Nuclei are composed of protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons. Nucleons are bound together by the strong nuclear force over short distances. Protons and neutrons themselves are composed of more fundamental particles called quarks. When nucleons come together to form a nucleus, a small amount of mass is converted to nuclear binding energy, making the nucleus more stable than the separate nucleons. The stability of a nucleus depends on factors such as the ratio of protons to neutrons, whether the number of each is even or odd, and how close to "magic numbers" the total number of nucleons is.