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A stationary anti-neutron decays by emitting a positron.(a) Explain how energy is conserved in this decay

Question

A stationary anti-neutron decays by emitting a positron.

(a) Explain how energy is conserved in this decay.

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Solution

The question seems to be based on a misunderstanding. Anti-neutrons, like neutrons, are neutral particles and do not decay by emitting a positron. Neutrons can decay into a proton, electron, and an electron antineutrino, while antineutrons can decay into an antiproton, positron, and an electron neutrino.

However, if we consider a hypothetical situation where an anti-neutron decays by emitting a positron, energy conservation would still apply. The total energy before the decay (the rest mass energy of the anti-neutron) would be equal to the total energy after the decay (the rest mass energy of the remaining particles plus the kinetic energy of the emitted positron).

The rest mass energy of a particle is given by Einstein's equation E=mc^2, where m is the rest mass of the particle and c is the speed of light. The kinetic energy of a particle is given by the equation KE=1/2 mv^2, where m is the mass of the particle and v is its velocity.

So, in this hypothetical decay, the energy conservation would be expressed as:

E(anti-neutron) = E(remaining particles) + KE(positron)

mc^2(anti-neutron) = mc^2(remaining particles) + 1/2 m(positron)v^2

This equation expresses the conservation of energy in this hypothetical decay process.

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