beta decay

noun

: a radioactive nuclear transformation governed by the weak force in which a nucleon (such as a neutron) changes into a nucleon (such as a proton) of the other type with the emission of either an electron and an antineutrino or a positron and a neutrino

Examples of beta decay in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More than a quarter of a century before, physicists had been puzzling over why energy appeared to be lost during a radioactive process called beta decay. — Simon Frantz, Quanta Magazine, 24 June 2026

Betavoltaic devices convert energy released during beta decay into electrical current. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Apr. 2026

However, if neutrinos and antineutrinos aren’t Dirac fermions but are actually Majorana particles, then an atomic nucleus that was unstable against double beta decay could actually exhibit two different types of double beta decay. — Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025

As a result of this process, known as beta decay, the nucleus also emits an electron or its antimatter partner, the positron. — Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 11 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for beta decay

• andromache
• bioassay
• cabriolet
• cercariae
• communique
• companionway
• compositae
• decussate
• examinee
• fabaceae
• glyphosate
• gramineae