Question

The neutron was discovered by:

Hint:

He used alpha particles fired at beryllium to reveal this uncharged particle.

Answer 1

The question asks who first identified the neutron as a distinct particle.

1. Before 1932, the nucleus was assumed to contain only protons, along with some tightly bound electrons, to account for its mass.
2. James Chadwick fired alpha particles at a beryllium target and detected a new, electrically neutral particle being emitted.
3. He correctly identified this as a new fundamental particle, the neutron, which explained the extra mass seen in atomic nuclei.

So the neutron was discovered by James Chadwick.