Why are neutrinos hard to detect?

Neutrinos are hard to detect because they are 100,000s of times smaller than an electron, so are too small to detect with current equipment. They also dont have a charge and do not interact with any other atomic particles, so it means that it is harder to find when looking at feynman diagrams. The only way we know they exist is because we know that lepton number must be conserved, so there must be an anti lepton emitted during for example beta decay.

MC
Answered by Mahira C. Physics tutor

9459 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

A bullet is fired horizontally from a gun at a height of 1.5m at 280m/s. Calculate the time taken for it to hit the ground. A second bullet is fired from an adjacent gun at 370m/s. Calculate the distance it travel before the first bullet hits the ground.


What is the force on a moving charged particle in a magnetic field, and why is no work done by this force when it accelerates the particle?


What is the difference between a scalar and a vector quantity?


What are the different classifications of sub-atomic particles?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning