What Is a Neutron

The neutron is the particle in the atomic nucleus with a mass 1 and charge 0. Neutrons are found together with protons in the atomic nucleus. The number of neutrons in an atom determines its isotope. Although a neutron has a net neutral electrical charge, it does consist of charged components which cancel each other out with respect to charge. Neutron Facts A neutron is a type of hadron. It consists of one up quark and two down quarks.Although the mass of a proton and a neutron are comparable, especially compared with the much lighter electron, a neutron is slightly more massive than a proton. A neutron has a mass of 1.67492729 x 10-27 kg.A neutron is considered a type of fermion because it has a spin 1/2.Although its possible to eject neutrons from the nucleus, the free particles dont last long before reacting with other atoms. On average, a neutron survives on its own about 15 minutes.