Is beta decay a form of nuclear fission?(1 point)
Responses
No, it is not because the atomic number does not change.
No, it is not because the atomic number does not change.
Yes, it is because the mass number changes.
Yes, it is because the mass number changes.
No, it is not because the mass number does not change.
No, it is not because the mass number does not change.
Yes, it is because the atomic number changes.
No, it is not because the atomic number does not change.
No, it is not because the atomic number changes.
No, beta decay is not a form of nuclear fission because the atomic number does not change. To understand why, let's break it down.
Beta decay is a type of radioactive decay where a nucleus undergoes a transformation, resulting in the emission of a beta particle (an electron or positron). This process occurs when a neutron within the nucleus spontaneously changes into a proton or a proton changes into a neutron.
During beta decay, the atomic number of the nucleus changes because the number of protons increases (in the case of a neutron changing into a proton) or decreases (in the case of a proton changing into a neutron). However, the mass number, which represents the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus, remains the same. Therefore, the overall mass of the nucleus does not change.
On the other hand, nuclear fission is a process where a heavy nucleus splits into two or more lighter nuclei, accompanied by the release of a significant amount of energy. In nuclear fission, both the atomic number and the mass number of the nucleus change because the original nucleus breaks apart into different nuclei, resulting in a decrease in mass and an overall change in the composition of the nucleus.
So, to summarize, beta decay is not a form of nuclear fission because the atomic number changes while the mass number remains the same during beta decay, whereas both the atomic number and the mass number change during nuclear fission.