X-ray Production by Neutrons – Rankers Physics

Nucleus: Practice Problem & Solution

Assertion (A): When a beam of highly energetic neutrons is incident on a tungsten target, X-rays will be produced. Reason (R): Neutrons do not exert any electrostatic force on electrons or nucleus of an atom.  
Both (A) & (R) are true and the (R) is the correct explanation of the (A)
Both (A) & (R) are true but the (R) is not the correct explanation of the (A)
(A) is true but (R) is false
Both (A) and (R) are false

Solution Explained:

To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Nucleus. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:

Assertion (A) can be true as energetic neutrons can cause nuclear reactions which might lead to secondary electrons or photons that produce X-rays. Reason (R) is also true as neutrons are electrically neutral.

However, the reason (R) explains why neutrons do not directly cause X-rays via electromagnetic interaction, not why they do produce X-rays (which would be an indirect process). Thus (R) is not the correct explanation for (A).

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