The positron does not exist in our environment. Want to see the full answer? What happens to the mass number and atomic number of a nuclide that emits a positron? Answer Thus, the age of the rock will be $6.42 \times 10^{9}$ yr and the correct answer will be option is (B). The mass of the positron is the same as the mass of the electron, about 0.511 MeV/c2 or about 9.11 x 10-31 kg. Positron emission or beta plus decay (β + decay) is a subtype of radioactive decay called beta decay, in which a proton inside a radionuclide nucleus is converted into a neutron while releasing a positron and an electron neutrino (ν e). The element will have an atomic number of 42, so the element is molybdenum (Mo). In positron emission, the atomic number Z decreases by one while the mass number A remains the same. See solution. How do the mass number and atomic number of a nucleus change when the nucleus produces a positron? The positron or antielectron is the antiparticle or the antimatter counterpart of the electron.The positron has an electric charge of +1 e, a spin of 1/2 (the same as the electron), and has the same mass as an electron.When a positron collides with an electron, annihilation occurs. Check out a sample textbook solution. Positron emission increases the number of neutrons and decreases the number of protons, making the nucleus more stable. One should create simultaneously one … Chapter 19, Problem 12QAP. What are the mass number and charge of a positron? It has the mass … If this collision occurs at low energies, it results in the production of two or more photons. We exist in a world made up of matter. 11.4: Positron Emission Last updated; Save as PDF Page ID 79601; Contributor; A positron, also called an antielectron, is an exotic bit of matter, or more correctly, an example of antimatter.A positron is the antimatter equivalent of an electron. check_circle Expert Solution. arrow_back. Beta plus decay - positron emission - causes the atomic number of the nucleus to decrease by one and the mass number remains the same. The balanced equation would be 43 95 Tc -> 1 0 e + 42 95 Mo. Magnesium-23 has 12 protons and 11 neutrons. Calculation of atomic number – y will be the atomic number of the new particle/element; it plus the atomic mass of the positron must equal the atomic number of technetium – 43 = 1 + y; so y = 42. The discovery of positron is also one of the great achievements that inspire innovative theories and thinking continually, and is a lot beyond the reception of human senses. What Exactly Is a Positron? The neutron:proton ratio is 11:12 or 0.92:1. We define matter as something that has mass and occupies space. According to the Einstein formula E = M c² relating mass and energy, it is possible to produce positrons with an energy greater than 511 kEv, the mass energy of the positron or electron. 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