n (1902) One of the particles which can be emitted by a radioactive atomic nucleus. It has a mass about \({1 \over {1837}}\) that of the proton. The negatively charged beta particle is identical with the ordinary electron, while the positively charged type (positron) differs from the electron in having equal but opposite electrical properties. The emission of an electron entails the change of a neutron into a proton inside the nucleus. The emission of a positron is similarly associated with the change of a proton into a neutron. Beta particles have no independent existence inside the nucleus, but are created at the instant of emissions. See Neutrino.
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Gooch, J.W. (2011). Beta (b)-Particle, (Beta Ray). In: Gooch, J.W. (eds) Encyclopedic Dictionary of Polymers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6247-8_1260
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6247-8_1260
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