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Define the terms mass number (A), atomic number (Z) and isotopes of an element

Question

Define the terms mass number (A), atomic number (Z) and isotopes of an element

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Solution

  1. Mass Number (A): The mass number of an element, often represented by the symbol A, is the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom. It gives the approximate atomic weight. For example, in a carbon-12 atom, the mass number is 12 because it has 6 protons and 6 neutrons.

  2. Atomic Number (Z): The atomic number of an element, represented by the symbol Z, is the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom. It defines the chemical properties of the element and also its place in the periodic table. For instance, the atomic number of hydrogen is 1 because it has one proton in its nucleus.

  3. Isotopes: Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element which have the same number of protons (same atomic number) but different number of neutrons. Therefore, isotopes of an element have the same atomic number but different mass numbers. For example, Carbon-12, Carbon-13 and Carbon-14 are three isotopes of carbon, with mass numbers 12, 13 and 14 respectively.

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