3min chapter

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Science & Technology Q&A for Kids (and others) [May 13, 2022]

The Stephen Wolfram Podcast

CHAPTER

The Nature of Neutrons

In a nucleus, a neutron is bound to the point where it's not energetically possible for it to decay. If you can get a free neutron just on its own, it decays in about 15 minutes. But neutrons bound inside nuclei don't have that kind of energy budget so they are prevented from decaying. Some of the instabilities, some of the radioactivity, and some elements is the result of neutrons effectively decaying because they're not tightly enough bound insideuclei.

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