Which type of radioactive decay results in an increase in the atomic number of the parent nucleus by one, while keeping the mass number unchanged?
Beta-minus decay
In beta-minus decay, a neutron in the nucleus converts into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino. This increases the atomic number by one while the mass number stays the same, since the total number of nucleons remains unchanged.
Similar Questions
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Important Questions from Radioactivity
- The energies of the 3 lowest states of an atom are E 0 = −14 eV, E 1 = −9 eV and E 2 = −7 eV. The Einstein coefficients are A 10 = 3 × 10 8 s −1 , A 20 = 1.2 × 10 8 s −1 and A 21 = 8 × 10 7 s −1 . If a large number of atoms are in the energy level E 2 , the mean radiative lifetime of this excited state is
The nuclei of 137 Cs decay by the emission of β - particles with a half life of 30.08 years. The activity (in units of disintegrations per second or Bq) of a 1 mg source of 137 Cs, prepared on January 1, 1980, as measured on January 1, 2021 is closest to
The Q - value of the α - decay of 232 Th to the ground state of 228 Ra is 4082 keV. The maximum possible kinetic energy of the α - particle is closest to
Radioactivity is the characteristic of which of the following?
A free neutron decays spontaneously into a proton, an electron and ___________ .
