The student's reasoning is incorrect because, in beta-minus decay, a neutron is transformed into a proton, which increases the atomic number by one, not decreases it. The equation provided actually represents a different process, specifically the decay of carbon-10 into boron-10, where there is no net change in atomic number; therefore, it does not model beta-minus decay.
Use the equation to answer the question.
10 6C→10 5B+ 0+1e
A student claims that the equation models beta-minus decay because the atomic number of the nucleus decreases by one. In 1–2 sentences, explain the error in the student’s reasoning and what the model actually represents.
1 answer