An alpha particle consists of two protons and two neutrons. How will the emission of an alpha particle affect the following: a. The atomic number of the atom: Atomic Number will go down
b. The mass number of the atom: ___Mass number will go down

a) The atomic number decreases by 2 units

b) the atomic mass decreases by 4 units

Explanation:

An alpha particle is a helium nucleus, which is why it is made up of two positive protons and two negative neutrons, the mass of the particles is almost the same.

a) The atomic number decreases by 2 units

b) the atomic mass decreases by 4 units

answer: the correct answer is 1.

explanation: there are various process in which a radioactive nuclei decays:

1) alpha decay: in this process, a heavier nuclei decays into lighter nuclei by releasing alpha particle. the mass number is reduced by 4 units.

2) electron capture: in this decay process, a parent nuclei absorbs an electron and gets converted into a neutron. simply, a proton and an electron combines together to form a neutron. mass number does not change in this process.

3) gamma ray emission: it is a decay process in which an unstable nuclei gives excess energy by a spontaneous electromagnetic process. this decay releases . this process does not change the mass number.

4) positron emission: it is a type of decay process, in which a proton gets converted to neutron and an electron neutrino. this is also known as -decay. in this the mass number remains same.

from the above information, we see that only alpha-decay is producing a change in the mass number of the nucleus.