What is a neutron?

Answer

Neutron is the central part of the atom present in the nucleus. The nucleus consists of protons and neutrons. Neutrons have no charge. It has a relative atomic mass of 1.
See the Web Links for more information about neutrons.

Answer

A neutron is a subatomic particle; it is one of the building blocks of the atom. It has a mass of about 1.675 x 10^-27 kg. It's spin is + 1/2 and that makes it a fermion. Additionally, it has no electric charge. It is unstable when free in nature, and has a half life of about 886 seconds. The neutron could be said to be only "alive" to be part of an atomic nucleus as it ceases to exist after a while if left alone. When it wanders around loose, like after its release following a decay event or a fission event, it may bump into another atomic nucleus and become captured by it. This process is called - no surprise - neutron capture. It is, after all, a nucleon, as is a proton, both of which make up an atomic nucleus. The neutron is made up of two down quarks and an up quark. When a neutron decays, it releases a proton (or, if you prefer, a hydrogen nucleus), an electron, and an antineutrino.

Wikipedia has some good data on this little critter, which is where a couple of these facts came from. A link is provided so you can slide on over.

First answer by Giri Rocks. Last edit by Quirkyquantummechanic. Contributor trust: 729 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 42 [recommend question]