. What kind of change takes place in a nucleus when a β particle is emitted? Express it by an equation. State whether (a) atomic number, and (b) mass nu

Best Answer

Due to the emission of β particle, the number of nucleons in the nucleus remains same, but the number of neutrons is decreased by one and the number of protons is increased by one.

If a radioactive nucleus P with mass number A and atomic number Z emits a beta-particle to form a daughter nucleus Q with mass number A and atomic number Z + 1, the change can be represented as follows:

(a) Atomic number Z is increased by 1

(b) Mass number remains unchanged