Physics – 5.2.3 Radioactive decay | e-Consult
5.2.3 Radioactive decay (1 questions)
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During beta decay, a neutron within the nucleus transforms into a proton. This process results in a reduction in the number of excess neutrons. Specifically, the number of neutrons decreases by one, and the number of protons increases by one. The particle emitted is a beta particle (β-particle), which is essentially a high-speed electron. The equation representing this change is: neutron → proton + electron. This process occurs to achieve a more stable neutron-to-proton ratio within the nucleus.