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AS · Practice questions · Antiparticles and neutrinos

The ghostly neutrino.

Six original Cambridge-style questions on antiparticles, the neutrino, and decay energies.

Original questions All questions on this page are original work, written in the Cambridge AS & A Level style. They are not from past papers. They test the same concepts and skills the syllabus rewards.
Keep these straight

Same mass, opposite charge.

01
Analysis
[2 marks]

State what is meant by an antiparticle, giving one example.

  • An antiparticle has the same mass as its particle but the opposite charge ✓
  • For example, the positron is the antiparticle of the electron ✓
02
Analysis
[2 marks]

State the two particles emitted in beta-minus decay.

  • An electron (the beta-minus particle) ✓
  • and an electron antineutrino ✓
03
Analysis
[2 marks]

Explain why beta particles are emitted with a continuous range of energies.

  • The available energy is shared between the beta particle and the (anti)neutrino ✓
  • and the share varies from decay to decay, so the beta energy ranges up to a maximum ✓
04
Analysis
[2 marks]

Define the unified atomic mass unit (u).

  • One unified atomic mass unit is one twelfth of the mass of a carbon-12 atom ✓
05
Analysis
[2 marks]

State the two particles emitted in beta-plus decay.

  • A positron (the beta-plus particle) ✓
  • and a neutrino ✓
06
Analysis
[2 marks]

State two ways in which a positron is related to, and differs from, an electron.

  • It has the same mass as the electron ✓
  • but it carries the opposite (positive) charge ✓

Mark this once you have attempted all six and checked your working. It records a Practiced badge on the topic and adds a one-time bonus. Revealing the solutions alone does not count.