Editing Lepton number (section)

== Reversed signs convention ==
Some authors prefer to use lepton numbers that match the signs of the charges of the leptons involved, following the convention in use for the sign of [[weak isospin]] and the sign of [[strangeness]] quantum number ([[strange quark|for quarks]]), both of which conventionally have the otherwise arbitrary sign of the [[quantum number]] match the sign of the particles' electric charges.

When following the electric-charge-sign convention, the lepton number (shown with an over-bar here, to reduce confusion) of an [[electron]], [[muon]], [[tauon]], and any [[neutrino]] counts as <math>\bar{L} = -1;</math> the lepton number of the [[positron]], [[antimuon]], [[antitauon]], and any [[antineutrino]] counts as <math>\bar{L} = +1.</math> When this reversed-sign convention is observed, the [[baryon number]] is left unchanged, but the difference [[B − L|{{mvar|B − L}}]] is replaced with a sum: {{mvar|[[baryon number|B]] + {{overline|L}} }}, whose number value remains unchanged, since
: {{mvar|1= {{overline|L}} = −L,}}
and
: {{mvar|1= [[baryon number|B]] + {{overline|L}} = [[baryon number|B]] − L.}}