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Which particle, when emitted from the nucleus of an atom, would have the greatest effect on the mass of the atom?

Answer 1

Consider the following.

Since the only elements in the nucleus are protons and neutrons, we must compare their masses.

Proton: #~~1.01 amu# or #1.6726 * 10^-27 kg# Electron: #0.00055 amu# or #9.1 * 10^-31 kg#

Since a proton has a lot more mass than an electron—as you can see—it should have a bigger impact on the atom's mass.

I'm not sure which one affects the mass the most, though, because proton emission does change the atom's element! It might even depend on the atom's element!

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Answer 2

Wyatt Atkins

The alpha particle is the one that, if it were released from an atom's nucleus, would have the biggest impact on the atom's mass.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.