Show that the two-body decay of
this type must necessarily give an electron of fixed energy and. therefore,
cannot account for the observed continuous energy distribution in the 
-decay of
neutron or a nucleus (Fig. 6.56).
Answer:
If the decay of the neutron (inside the nucleus) into proton
and electron is according to the given reaction, then the energy released in
the decay must be carried by the electrons coming out of the nucleus. By mass-energy
conservation, these electrons must have a definite value of energy. However,
the given graph shows that the emitted electron can have any value of energy between
zero and the maximum value. Hence the given decay mode cannot account for the
observed continuous energy spectrum in the 
-decay.
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