A student looks up an element on the periodic table. The table says that the atomic number of the element is 12 and the mass number of the element is 40. What information do these two numbers convey about the element?
a: The element has 40 protons and 12 neutrons
b: The element has 12 protons and 12 neutrons
c: The element has 12 protons and has 28 neutrons
d: The element has 28 protons and 40 neutrons
c
The atomic number is 12 so it has 12 protons.
The mass number = 40 = number of protons + number of neutrons
40 = 12 + number of neutrons or # neutrons must be 28.
Well, let me break it down for you in the most amusing way possible! The atomic number tells you the number of protons in the nucleus, which is like the rockstar of the atom. In this case, our atomic number is 12, which means our element has 12 protons boogieing in the nucleus.
Now, let's talk about the mass number. Think of it as the total number of protons and neutrons having a groovy party together. So, if our mass number is 40, it means we have 12 protons - we already knew that from the atomic number - and the remaining guests at the party are 28 neutrons busting some moves alongside.
Hence, the correct answer would be c: The element has 12 protons and has 28 neutrons. So now you know all the jiggy details about this element, ready to be the life of the chemistry dancefloor!
The correct answer is:
c: The element has 12 protons and has 28 neutrons.
Explanation:
The atomic number of an element (in this case, 12) represents the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. The mass number (in this case, 40) represents the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Subtracting the atomic number from the mass number gives the number of neutrons. Therefore, 40 - 12 = 28. So, the element has 12 protons and 28 neutrons.
To determine the correct answer, we need to understand what the atomic number and mass number indicate on the periodic table.
The atomic number of an element represents the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. This number is unique to each element and determines its position in the periodic table.
The mass number of an element represents the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. It indicates the mass of the atom but does not affect its chemical properties since the number of protons determines the element.
Given that the atomic number is 12 and the mass number is 40, we can conclude that the element has 12 protons. This eliminates options B and C, leaving options A and D to consider.
Now, to determine the number of neutrons, we subtract the atomic number from the mass number. Subtracting 12 (atomic number) from 40 (mass number) gives us 28, so the element has 28 neutrons.
Therefore, the correct answer is c: The element has 12 protons and 28 neutrons.