Nuclear stability refers to a nucleus being stable and not spontaneously emitting radioactivity. A nucleus is stable when the forces binding the protons and neutrons together are balanced. Nuclei with an even number of both protons and neutrons are generally the most stable, while those with odd numbers of both protons and neutrons are the least stable and most radioactive. The nuclear stability can be predicted using the even-odd rule, where nuclides with even-even or odd-even combinations are more stable than odd-odd nuclides.