Question

Positron is:
(A) Electron with a positive charge
(B) A nucleus with one neutron and one proton
(C) A nucleus with two protons
(D) A helium nucleus

Answer 1

Hint: The main three subatomic particles of atoms are electrons, protons, and neutrons. Electrons are negatively charged, protons are positively charged and neutrons are neutral. A positron is an antiparticle of the electron.

 Complete step by step answer:
We know the three main subatomic particles of atoms. Discoveries lead to the existence of antiparticles of all three particles.
Antiparticles are the same particles with opposite charges.
We can understand the positron meaning as it is the combination of two parts, posi + tron, where, ‘posi’ means positive charge and ‘tron’ means electron.
The mass of an electron and positron is $9.11 \times \,{10^{ - 31}}$ kg. The spin of the electron and positron is $1/2$. The electric charge of an electron is $ - 1$ whereas the electric charge of a positron is $ + 1$. That’s why positron is the antiparticle of the electron.
The symbol of the electron is $_{ - 1}^0{\text{e}}$ so, the symbol of the positron is $_{ + 1}^0{\text{e}}$.
So, a positron is antiparticles of an electron as both have the same mass and spin but different electric charges.
Therefore, from the above explanation, the correct option is (A) electron with a positive charge.

Additional information:
Positron does not exist in our environment. Positrons are produced in gamma-ray flashes.
They are created when electrons are accelerated by a strong electric field in the cloud.
When particles collide with their antiparticles in a reaction and disappear by releasing energy, the process is called Annihilation. The most common annihilation on Earth occurs between an electron and its antiparticle positron.
Positron emission is a subtype of reductive doing called beta decay in which positron is released when a proton is converted into a neutron in a nucleus.
The positron was discovered in $1933$ by the American physicist Anderson.

Note: Antiparticles mean opposite charge with the same mass and spin. Positron and Protons are different particles as both have different masses and spin. The positron has the same mass as the electron but a positive charge. A proton is also positively charged but $2000$ times more massive than a positron. The electron is also known as a beta particle so, the electron is also represented as $_{ - 1}^0{\text{\beta }}$ so, positron can also be represented as $_{ + 1}^0{\text{\beta }}$.