Most beta particles are ejected at speeds approaching that of light.Īll atoms heavier than ordinary hydrogen have a nucleus consisting of neutrons and protons (neutral and positively charged particles, respectively), surrounded by negative electrons these orbital electrons are not involved in the electron emission associated with beta decay. ![]() He called the less penetrating rays alpha and the more penetrating rays beta. Beta decay was named (1899) by Ernest Rutherford when he observed that radioactivity was not a simple phenomenon. The three processes are electron emission, positron (positive electron) emission, and electron capture. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!īeta decay, any of three processes of radioactive disintegration by which some unstable atomic nuclei spontaneously dissipate excess energy and undergo a change of one unit of positive charge without any change in mass number.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians. ![]()
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