Beta Particle Effective Mass – Rankers Physics
Topic: Modern Physics
Subtopic: Nucleus

Beta Particle Effective Mass

Assertion (A): The effective mass of (beta)-particles when they are emitted is higher than the mass of electrons obtained by Millikan oil-drop experiment.
Reason (R): (beta)-particle and electron, both are similar particles.
 
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:

Assertion (A) is true. (beta)-particles are emitted with high speeds, so their relativistic mass \(m = m_0/\sqrt{1 - v^2/c^2}\) is higher than their rest mass \(m_0\). Reason (R) is also true, as (beta)-particles are electrons. However, (R) does not explain the relativistic mass increase in (A).

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