What happens to the atomic number of the daughter nucleus if it is formed after the emission of the beta particle?

The atomic number remains the same.

The atomic number increases by two.

The atomic number increases by one.

The atomic number decreases by two.

D

The atomic number increases by one.

The atomic number increases by one.

To determine what happens to the atomic number of the daughter nucleus after the emission of a beta particle, we need to understand the process of beta decay.

During beta decay, a neutron in the nucleus transforms into a proton and emits a beta particle (either an electron or a positron). The beta particle has a charge of -1 for an electron or +1 for a positron.

In this process, the atomic number of the daughter nucleus changes because the number of protons increases or decreases. Since the question specifically asks about the daughter nucleus, we can deduce the following:

1. If the atomic number remains the same, it means that the number of protons does not change. This scenario is not possible in beta decay because a neutron must transform into a proton, causing the atomic number to increase.

2. If the atomic number increases by two, it means that two protons are added to the daughter nucleus. This scenario is also not possible in beta decay because only one neutron transforms into a proton.

3. If the atomic number increases by one, it means that one proton is added to the daughter nucleus. This scenario is correct because during beta decay, the number of protons increases by one when a neutron transforms into a proton.

4. If the atomic number decreases by two, it means that two protons are removed from the daughter nucleus. This scenario is not possible in beta decay because protons cannot spontaneously disappear from a nucleus.

Based on this analysis, we can conclude that the correct answer is "The atomic number increases by one" when a daughter nucleus is formed after the emission of a beta particle.