A neutron is known to undergo beta decay (n $\rightarrow$ p + e- + ).A reasonable mean lifetime for free neutrons is:
A)10 years.
B)10 hours.
C)10 days.
D)10 minutes.
E)10-23 s.

Question

A neutron is known to undergo beta decay (n $\rightarrow$ p + e- + ).A reasonable mean lifetime for free neutrons is: 
A)10 years. 
B)10 hours. 
C)10 days. 
D)10 minutes. 
E)10-23 s.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mean lifetime of a free neutron is approximately 15 minutes. Therefore, option D (10 minutes) is the most reasonable choice. The other options (10 years, 10 hours, 10 days, and 10^23 seconds) are much too long or short for the mean lifetime of a free neutron.

A Neutron Is Known to Undergo Beta Decay (N →\rightarrow→ P + E- + )

A Neutron Is Known to Undergo Beta Decay (N $\rightarrow$ P + E- + )