Question

Loss of a beta particle
a) converts a neutron into a proton
b) has no effect on the nucleus
c)converts a proton into a neutron
d) causes the atomic number to decrease by 2
e) causes the mass number to decrease by four
I think there may be 2 answers or more; however, I'm not sure.

Answer 1

When a nucleus emits a beta particle, it loses one of its neutrons and gains one proton. Hence, it's mass and atomic number remain the same but its charge and proton number is increased by +1.
The mass number remains the same because the neutron decays into a proton with the release of a beta particle. However, since one proton is gained, the atomic number also increases by 1. It does not remain the same like the mass number. Since the atomic number increased (the nucleus gained a positively charged proton), the charge does increase by +1.Hope u can guess the answer!