if a question gives you uranium 238, and asks what the final atomic number will be after it undergoes so many alpha and beta emissions.......well, i'm wondering, wouln't we have to know if it is a beta (-) or a beta + to get the final anwer?

Beta emission usually means the emission of an electrion. If they wished to specify a positive charge, they would say positron emission, according to my chemistry book. The earlier increases the proton number, the later decreases the proton number.

Hope this helps,
Richard Wong

thanks