Beta-Minus Radiation

Key Stage 5

Meaning

Beta-minus radiation consists of electrons (β⁻) emitted by unstable neutron-rich nuclei.

About Beta-Minus Radiation

• Beta-minus particles are high-energy, high-speed electrons.
• Stopped by about 5 mm of aluminium.
• Has a range in air of up to a metre.
• Less ionizing than alpha radiation but more ionizing than gamma radiation.
• Beta-Minus radiation is emitted during beta-minus decay when a neutron transmutes into a proton, electron, and antineutrino.
• Beta-minus radiation is used in medical applications and radiometric dating.

Examples

• The decay of carbon-14 to nitrogen-14 emits beta-minus particles.
• Employed in the study of beta decay processes in nuclear physics.