Exam-style question
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In a reaction where a neutron decays into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino, what happens to the lepton number?.
- A.It increases by 1
- B.It decreases by 1
- C.It remains the same
- D.It increases by 2
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- It increases by 1
Explanation
Why this works
In this decay process, the neutron (which has a lepton number of 0) transforms into a proton (lepton number 0), an electron (lepton number +1), and an antineutrino (lepton number -1). The total lepton number increases by 1 due to the creation of the electron.
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