How does beta decay increase atomic number?
1 Answer
May 2, 2015
Beta decay is a type of radioactive decay in which a neutron is transformed into a proton, or a proton is transformed into a neutron inside the nucleus of an atom. When a neutron is transformed into a proton, the number of protons in the nucleus increases. Since atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus, an increase in the number of protons causes an increase in atomic number.
