I use a school textbook that defines nuclear reaction in the following way. I will go through what does make sense to me, and then point out the thorns.

"When an atom changes into a different element, it is said to undergo a nuclear transmutation. In nuclear transmutations, electric charge is conserved".

So far, I think I am tracking. Atoms change into different elements (e.g. carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14, a beta minus particle, and an antineutrino). Charge is conserved here as the charge of a neutron is zero (before decay), and the net charge of a proton and electron (after decay) is also zero. So no biggie. Nature has conserved charge despite the decay.

Something in the next line throws me off "In any nuclear reaction, including radioactive decay, atomic and mass numbers are conserved. Energy is released during these decays."

"mass numbers are conserved". Once again, no biggie. One neutron gets converted to a proton. Mass number remains the same since it is the total number of neutrons and protons.

"atomic ... numbers are conserved". Here's the thorn. In beta minus decay (i.e. decay that emits an electron), atoms increase in their atomic number. After a decay, there is one less neutron - but there is one more proton.

This leads me to think taht beta minus decay doesn't result in the same amount of protons. Beta minus decay increases the protons using othe things. There is no alpha particle, so it's not like there is another particle on the decayed side of the equation that I haven't considered. So atomic number is not conserved (but the mass number is).

Thus beta minus decay is not a nuclear reaction? But it happens to the nucleus! The nucleus is the source of the electron! Surely it is a nuclear reaction!

It may just be words - I am not even trying to understand the phenomena - but man am I invested in clarifying this definition.

I use a school textbook that defines nuclear reaction in the following way. I will go through what does make sense to me, and then point out the thorns.

"When an atom changes into a different element, it is said to undergo a nuclear transmutation. In nuclear transmutations, electric charge is conserved".

So far, I think I am tracking. Atoms change into different elements (e.g. carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14, a beta minus particle, and an antineutrino). Charge is conserved here as the charge of a neutron is zero (before decay), and the net charge of a proton and electron (after decay) is also zero. So no biggie. Nature has conserved charge despite the decay.

Something in the next line throws me off "In any nuclear reaction, including radioactive decay, atomic and mass numbers are conserved. Energy is released during these decays."

"mass numbers are conserved". Once again, no biggie. One neutron gets converted to a proton. Mass number remains the same since it is the total number of neutrons and protons.

"atomic ... numbers are conserved". Here's the thorn. In beta minus decay (i.e. decay that emits an electron), atoms increase in their atomic number. After a decay, there is one less neutron - but there is one more proton.

This leads me to think that beta minus decay doesn't result in the same amount of protons. Beta minus decay increases the protons using other things. There is no alpha particle, so it's not like there is another particle on the decayed side of the equation that I haven't considered. So atomic number is not conserved (but the mass number is).

Thus beta minus decay is not a nuclear reaction? But it happens to the nucleus! The nucleus is the source of the electron! Surely it is a nuclear reaction!

It may just be words - I am not even trying to understand the phenomena - but man am I invested in clarifying this definition.

I use a school textbook that defines nuclear reaction in the following way. I will go through what does make sense to me, and then point out the thorns.

"When an atom changes into a different element, it is said to undergo a nuclear transmutation. In nuclear transmutations, electric charge is conserved".

So far, I think I am tracking. Atoms change into different elements (e.g. carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14, a beta minus particle, and an antineutrino). Charge is conserved here as the charge of a neutron is zero (before decay), and the net charge of a proton and electron (after decay) is also zero. So no biggie. Nature has conserved charge despite the decay.

Something in the next line throws me off "In any nuclear reaction, including radioactive decay, atomic and mass numbers are conserved. Energy is released during these decays."

"mass numbers are conserved". No biggie. One neutron gets converted to a proton.

"atomic ... numbers are conserved". Here's the thorn. In beta minus decay (i.e. decay that emits an electron), atoms increase in their atomic number. After a decay, there is one less neutron - but there is one more proton.

Beta minus decay doesn't lead the same amount of protons. Beta minus decay increases in protons. There is no alpha particle, so it's not like there is another particle on the decayed side of the equation that I haven't considered. So atomic number is not conserved (but the mass number is).

So beta minus decay is not a nuclear reaction? But it happens to the nucleus! The nucleus is the source?

It may just be words - I am not even trying to understand the phenomena - but man am I invested.

I use a school textbook that defines nuclear reaction in the following way. I will go through what does make sense to me, and then point out the thorns.

"When an atom changes into a different element, it is said to undergo a nuclear transmutation. In nuclear transmutations, electric charge is conserved".

So far, I think I am tracking. Atoms change into different elements (e.g. carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14, a beta minus particle, and an antineutrino). Charge is conserved here as the charge of a neutron is zero (before decay), and the net charge of a proton and electron (after decay) is also zero. So no biggie. Nature has conserved charge despite the decay.

Something in the next line throws me off "In any nuclear reaction, including radioactive decay, atomic and mass numbers are conserved. Energy is released during these decays."

"mass numbers are conserved". Once again, no biggie. One neutron gets converted to a proton. Mass number remains the same since it is the total number of neutrons and protons.

"atomic ... numbers are conserved". Here's the thorn. In beta minus decay (i.e. decay that emits an electron), atoms increase in their atomic number. After a decay, there is one less neutron - but there is one more proton.

This leads me to think taht beta minus decay doesn't result in the same amount of protons. Beta minus decay increases the protons using othe things. There is no alpha particle, so it's not like there is another particle on the decayed side of the equation that I haven't considered. So atomic number is not conserved (but the mass number is).

Thus beta minus decay is not a nuclear reaction? But it happens to the nucleus! The nucleus is the source of the electron! Surely it is a nuclear reaction!

It may just be words - I am not even trying to understand the phenomena - but man am I invested in clarifying this definition.