A tactical guide to the infinite realm of science. Although the world of science would take eternity to explore, Professor Quibb attempts to scrape the edge of this Universe. This blog helps you to understand particular topics under the more general categories: cosmology, mathematics, quantum physics, meteorology and others. Join me on my trek across the untraversed lands of the unknown.
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Friday, March 28, 2008
The Neutron
The Neutron is an elementary particle found in the nucleus of the atom with the proton. Its neutral charge is caused by the quark composition (udd or up, down, down) because the charges of the quarks add (up=2/3 + down=-1/3 + down=-1/3 = 0) to zero. Bound inside the nucleus neutrons are stable, but the free neutron (synthetic) is unstable, having a half-life of about 885 seconds (approx. 15 minutes). It interacts with all four forces and through beta decay, it becomes a proton. The neutron is the heaviest particle in the atom.
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