- #1
arlesterc
- 43
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Reading this article - http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/proton.html#c4 there is a statement -
"A free neutron will decay with a half-life of about 10.3 minutes but it is stable if combined into a nucleus."
So is it only free neutrons that decay into protons?
In conjunction with this question, does a neutron have to be accelerating at a specific speed to decay? So if could fix a neutron theoretically to as close to a single point as possible versus accelerating it as close as I can to the speed of light would there be a difference in decay 'strength' - the faster moving neutron would decay more quickly, the decay particles emerging it from it having more energy?
"A free neutron will decay with a half-life of about 10.3 minutes but it is stable if combined into a nucleus."
So is it only free neutrons that decay into protons?
In conjunction with this question, does a neutron have to be accelerating at a specific speed to decay? So if could fix a neutron theoretically to as close to a single point as possible versus accelerating it as close as I can to the speed of light would there be a difference in decay 'strength' - the faster moving neutron would decay more quickly, the decay particles emerging it from it having more energy?