2 ms·
> neutrons are protons bound to electrons No, they are not.
by leni536 11y ago
> neutrons are protons bound to electrons
No, they are not.
- logfromblammo 11y agoTo be more specific, you can turn a proton into a neutron by electron capture or beta+ decay, but that's not what a neutron is. A neutron is 2 down (-1/3 charge) quarks and 1 up (+2/3 charge) quark, whereas a proton is 2 up and 1 down quark. Electron (-1 charge) capture changes an up to a down and emits an electron neutrino (0 charge). Beta decay is when a neutron changes to a proton and emits an electron and an electron antineutrino (beta-), or when a proton changes to a neutron and emits a positron and electron neutrino (beta+). Even if you wanted to be generous, the grandparent post left out the electron antineutrino.