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A neutron is made of 3 quarks, namely an up quark and two down quarks. It is this composition of quarks that cause it to have zero charge. (An up quark has a charge of 2/3 and down quarks have a charge of -1/3 - thus 2/3 + (-1/3 *2) = 0)

A free neutron (that is one that is not bound in a nucleus) will become a proton, an electron and an electron-neutrino. This happens through the weak force (it acts on a down quark, turning into an up). This does not mean a neutron contains an electron. It does not. Yes, an electron appears when a neutron decays, but that electron does not exist in the neutron as an electron, but it does not.

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17y ago

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