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During beta-minus decay, a neutron transforms into which combination of particles?
AA proton, electron, and neutrino
BTwo protons plus a neutrino
CA single neutron and photon
DA proton and a helium nucleus
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. A proton, electron, and neutrino
1. Beta decay rebalances a nucleus by converting a neutron into other particles.
2. In beta-minus decay, a neutron transforms into a proton, an electron, and a neutrino.
3. Only one proton results, not two, and a photon is emitted only in gamma decay, not beta decay.
4. A helium nucleus is what alpha decay ejects, not what a single neutron becomes.
5. So a proton, an electron, and a neutrino is correct.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 22 "The Atom", section 22.2 Nuclear Forces and Radioactivity_
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