Number of protons and neutrons
The number of protons and neutrons is determined by the atomic mass and atomic number of an element
The number of protons and neutrons is determined by the atomic mass and atomic number of an element.
The atomic number represents the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. It also determines the element’s identity. For example, hydrogen has an atomic number of 1, which means it has one proton in its nucleus. Oxygen, on the other hand, has an atomic number of 8, indicating it has eight protons in its nucleus.
The atomic mass represents the sum of protons and neutrons in an atom. Neutrons are electrically neutral particles found in the nucleus of an atom. Unlike protons, which carry a positive charge, neutrons have no charge. To determine the number of neutrons in an atom, you subtract the atomic number (number of protons) from the atomic mass.
For example, the atomic number of carbon is 6, meaning it has six protons. The atomic mass of carbon is around 12.01. To find the number of neutrons, you subtract 6 from 12.01, resulting in approximately 6 neutrons.
It’s important to note that atoms of the same element can have varying numbers of neutrons, creating isotopes. Isotopes have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. For example, carbon-12 and carbon-14 are isotopes of carbon. Both isotopes have six protons, but carbon-12 has six neutrons, while carbon-14 has eight neutrons.
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