neutron
Neutrons are electrically neutral. This topic is part of Physics within Science & Nature. This page currently draws on 42 supporting questions, with answers and bonus facts available below.
neutron trivia questions
What electric charge does a neutron have?
Answer: No charge
Bonus fact: Neutrons are electrically neutral.
Where are neutrons found in an atom?
Answer: Nucleus
Bonus fact: Atomic nuclei contain protons and neutrons.
Who is credited with discovering the neutron in 1932?
Answer: James Chadwick
Bonus fact: Chadwick's discovery completed the basic proton-neutron picture of nuclei.
Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons are called what?
Answer: Isotopes
Bonus fact: Isotopes have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
The most common isotope of hydrogen has how many neutrons?
Bonus fact: Protium, ordinary hydrogen-1, has one proton and no neutrons.
In beta-minus decay, a neutron changes into a proton while emitting an electron and what other particle?
Answer: Antineutrino
Bonus fact: The weak interaction produces an electron antineutrino.
What device material is used to slow neutrons in many reactor designs?
Answer: Moderator
Bonus fact: Water or graphite can act as neutron moderators.
What force holds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus?
Answer: Strong nuclear force
Bonus fact: The strong force overcomes proton-proton electrical repulsion at short range.
How many down quarks are in a neutron?
Answer: Two
Bonus fact: A neutron is made of one up quark and two down quarks.
Which fundamental force binds quarks together inside protons and neutrons?
Answer: The strong nuclear force
Bonus fact: The strong interaction is the most powerful of the four fundamental interactions at subatomic distances.
What related effect helps bind protons and neutrons together inside atomic nuclei?
Answer: The residual strong force
Bonus fact: The force between nucleons can be understood as a leftover effect of the underlying quark-and-gluon interaction.
What is the term for the energy needed to separate a nucleus completely into its protons and neutrons?
Answer: Nuclear binding energy
Bonus fact: Binding energy helps explain why some nuclear reactions can release enormous amounts of energy.