beta particle

noun

: a high-speed electron

specifically : one emitted by a radioactive nucleus in beta decay

Examples of beta particle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The primary emission consists of beta particles, high-energy electrons capable of penetrating tumors and surrounding cells, tearing into DNA and causing damage that ultimately triggers cell death. —Discover Magazine, 8 July 2024

Compared to beta particles, alpha particles are larger and more energetic. —Discover Magazine, 8 July 2024

This stands in stark contrast to beta particles, which can traverse millimeters of tissue before their energy is depleted. —Discover Magazine, 8 July 2024

The most common forms occur when an unstable nucleus spits out an alpha particle, consisting of two neutrons and two protons, a beta particle consisting of an energetic positron or electron, or a gamma ray, consisting of a high energy photon. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024

Alpha particles are just the nuclei of helium atoms, beta particles are electrons, and gamma rays are a type of very high-frequency electromagnetic radiation. —Rhett Allain, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024

Instead, radioactive elements can emit gamma rays, alongside alpha and beta particles. —WIRED, 23 Sep. 2023

The mass of an alpha particle is more than 7,000 times larger than that of a beta particle. —WIRED, 8 Sep. 2023

And the radiation comes in the form of beta particles. —Jonathan Saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

beta particle

noun

: an electron or positron that is thrown out from the nucleus of an atom during radioactive decay

also : a high-speed electron or positron

Medical Definition

beta particle

noun

: a high-speed electron

specifically : one emitted during radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus