CIE iGCSE Co-Ordinated Science P5.2.3 Radioactive decay Exam Style Questions Paper 1
Question
A radioactive nucleus emits a β-particle. What happens to the proton number (atomic number) of the nucleus?
A. It stays the same.
B. It increases by 1.
C. It decreases by 2.
D. It decreases by 4.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Answer: B
Explanation: When a nucleus emits a β-particle (an electron), a neutron is converted into a proton, increasing the proton number by 1.
Question
The nucleus of an atom emits an $\alpha$-particle.
How do the number of protons and the number of neutrons in the nucleus change?
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans: A