Exam-style question
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In a beta decay process, a neutron in a nucleus transforms into a proton, emitting an electron and an antineutrino. What conservation law is primarily used to predict the missing particles in this decay?.
- A.Conservation of mass
- B.Conservation of charge
- C.Conservation of energy
- D.Conservation of lepton number
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- Conservation of charge
Explanation
Why this works
In beta decay, the total charge before and after the decay must remain the same. The neutron has no charge, while the proton has a positive charge and the emitted electron carries a negative charge, ensuring charge conservation.
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