Which process occurs when a particle is emitted from the nucleus, resulting in the transformation of a neutron into a proton?

The process that occurs when a particle is emitted from the nucleus, resulting in the transformation of a neutron into a proton, is known as beta-minus decay, not beta-plus decay. In beta-minus decay, a neutron within the nucleus is converted into a proton, and this transformation is accompanied by the emission of a beta particle, which is effectively an electron. This process increases the atomic number of the element by one, effectively transforming it into a different element while keeping the mass number the same.

Beta-plus decay, on the other hand, involves the conversion of a proton into a neutron, resulting in the emission of a positron and a neutrino. This process decreases the atomic number, leading to the formation of a different element as well.

Alpha decay involves the emission of helium nuclei (two protons and two neutrons) from the nucleus, which does not involve the direct transformation of neutrons into protons.

Neutron decay usually refers to a free neutron decaying into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino, but this occurs outside of the nucleus and is not what the question describes.

Electron capture is the process in which an electron is captured by the nucleus and combines with a proton to form a neutron, again reversing the