how are the atomic number and mass of a nucleus affected by loss of a beta particle?

Question

a. the mass number changes
b. the atomic number changes
c.the atomic number remains the same
d. the number of neutrons remains the same

Answer 1

A beta particle is simply an electron. The mechanism of beta decay is that a neutron decomposes into a proton and an electron (and an antineutrino), and the electron is emitted. The result is that there is one proton more than there was before, meaning that the atomic number increases by one. The mass number remains the same because the proton has the same mass as the neutron that was present before.

So the answer is b) the atomic number changes.

Answer 2

b