The number of protons in an element increased by one after a radioactive decay. The element must have decay by emitting

When the number of protons in an element increases by one, it means that a proton has been added to the nucleus of the atom. This can only happen through the emission of a beta particle, which is essentially an electron that is emitted from the nucleus. During beta decay, a neutron in the nucleus of the atom is converted into a proton and an electron. The proton remains in the nucleus, increasing the atomic number by one, while the electron is emitted from the nucleus as a beta particle. Therefore, if the number of protons in an element increases by one, it must have undergone beta decay by emitting a beta particle. Alpha decay involves the emission of an alpha particle, which is made up of two protons and two neutrons. Gamma decay, on the other hand, involves the emission of a gamma ray, which is a high-energy photon. Neutron emission occurs when an unstable nucleus has too many neutrons, but this does not change the atomic number of the element.