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Beta Decay Process

Mediumphysics

In beta minus (β−) decay a neutron converts to?

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About This Question

Subject
physics
Chapter
atoms and nuclei
Topic
beta decay process
Difficulty
Medium
Year
2025
Tags
Beta DecayNeutronProducts

Solution

Correct Answer:

Proton + electron + antineutrino

  1. Process: In decay, a neutron inside the nucleus is transformed into a proton to achieve stability.
  2. Reaction Equation:
  3. Products:
    • Proton (): Stays in the nucleus ( increases by 1).
    • Electron (): Also called the Beta particle, ejected from the nucleus.
    • Antineutrino (): A neutral, nearly massless particle carrying away the remaining energy and momentum.
  4. Conservation: Charge, baryon number, and lepton number are all conserved.

This medium difficulty physics question is from the chapter atoms and nuclei, covering the topic of beta decay process. It appeared in the 2025 exam.

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