How much energy (in MeV)is released in the beta decay of a free neutron? Assume mass(proton)= 938.272 MeV/c²,mass(neutron)= 939.566 MeV/c²,mass(electron)= 0.511 MeV/c²,and mass(neutrino)= 0.000 MeV/c². A)1.294 MeV B)0.783 MeV C)0.272 MeV D)1.805 MeV E)Energy is not released in this decay.

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The energy released in the beta decay of a free neutron can be calculated by taking the mass of the initial neutron and subtracting the masses of the products (proton, electron, and neutrino). Given the masses: mass(neutron) = 939.566 MeV/c^2, mass(proton) = 938.272 MeV/c^2, mass(electron) = 0.511 MeV/c^2, and mass(neutrino) = 0.000 MeV/c^2, the energy released is:Energy released = mass(neutron) - (mass(proton) + mass(electron) + mass(neutrino))= 939.566 MeV/c^2 - (938.272 MeV/c^2 + 0.511 MeV/c^2 + 0.000 MeV/c^2)= 0.783 MeV

How Much Energy (In MeV)is Released in the Beta Decay