Which type of radiation has a physical mass but has no electrical charge?

Which type of radiation has a physical mass but has no electrical charge?

• A. Beta
• B. Gamma
• C. X ray
• D. Neutron

Answer: (D)

Mass and charge determine how radiation behaves and interacts with matter. Neutrons have mass but carry no electric charge, so they’re not influenced by magnetic or electric fields the way charged particles are, and they interact with matter mainly through collisions with atomic nuclei. Gamma rays and X rays are electromagnetic radiation; they are bundles of energy (photons) with zero rest mass and no charge, so they don’t have mass to speak of. Beta radiation consists of charged particles—electrons or positrons—that have both mass and electric charge, so they’re deflected by fields and interact differently with matter. Because neutrons uniquely combine mass with no charge, they fit the description best.

Mass and charge determine how radiation behaves and interacts with matter. Neutrons have mass but carry no electric charge, so they’re not influenced by magnetic or electric fields the way charged particles are, and they interact with matter mainly through collisions with atomic nuclei. Gamma rays and X rays are electromagnetic radiation; they are bundles of energy (photons) with zero rest mass and no charge, so they don’t have mass to speak of. Beta radiation consists of charged particles—electrons or positrons—that have both mass and electric charge, so they’re deflected by fields and interact differently with matter. Because neutrons uniquely combine mass with no charge, they fit the description best.