Explain Atomic number and Mass number
Answers
Answer:
Neutral atoms of each element contain an equal number of protons and electrons. The number of protons determines an element's atomic number and is used to distinguish one element from another. ... Together, the number of protons and the number of neutrons determine an element's mass number.
Explanation:
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Atomic number :
We know that atoms are made up of protons , neutrons and electrons .
Atomic number is the number of protons in the atom .
It is decided by the number of protons the atom has in its nucleus . It is denoted by the capital letter Z .
For example :
- Number of protons in oxygen is 8 so the atomic number is 8.
- Number of protons in magnesium is 12 so the atomic number is 12.
Atomic mass :
The total sum of protons and neutrons in the atom are called as atomic mass . It is counted on basis of parts it forms of 1/12th of carbon atom . It is denoted by capital letter A .
It's counted in unified mass units called u .
For example :
- The number of protons and neutrons together in Hydrogen is 1 . This is because there are no neutrons in Hydrogen .
- Note that the atomic mass is always appxoimately twice of atomic number . Like : Oxygen : 15.999 u as the atomic number is 8 and 15.999 means 16 approximately .