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How radioactive decay affects the atomic number and mass number of an atom?

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Answer:

Nuclear decay changes the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, and in doing so changes the element. ... If the same element were to undergo beta decay, the mass number would stay the same, and the atomic number would increase by 1, giving neptunium-235. Also Radioactive decay involves the emission of a particle and/or energy as one atom changes into another. In most instances, the atom changes its identity to become a new element.

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