Which of the following particles is typically emitted from the nucleus and has a negative charge?

• A. Alpha particle
• B. Gamma ray
• C. Beta particle
• D. Neutron

Answer: (C)

The concept here is identifying the nuclear emission that carries a negative electric charge. In beta minus decay, a neutron inside the nucleus transforms into a proton, and this transformation releases an electron (the beta particle) along with an antineutrino. The emitted electron has negative charge, so the particle is negatively charged. This process increases the atomic number by one (more protons) while leaving the mass number unchanged.

Others have different charges: an alpha particle is a helium nucleus with a positive charge, gamma rays are neutral photons, and a neutron is uncharged. So the negatively charged particle typically emitted from the nucleus is the beta particle.