The collective model was proposed to explain features of the nucleus that could not be explained by the liquid drop or shell models alone. It treats the nucleus as having a hard core of nucleons with outer valence nucleons that behave like surface molecules in a liquid. The interaction between the core and valence nucleons distorts the core, creating bulges that circulate around the surface. If two extra nucleons are present, they orbit in opposite directions due to pairing, further distorting the core. This model successfully explained high values of quadrupole moments observed in nuclei.