Here's a breakdown:
* Protons: These are positively charged particles found in the nucleus of an atom. The number of protons determines the element's atomic number.
* Neutrons: These are neutral particles (no charge) also found in the nucleus.
* Electrons: These are negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus. Their number is typically equal to the number of protons in a neutral atom.
Example:
* Carbon (C) has an atomic number of 6, which means it has 6 protons.
* A typical carbon atom also has 6 neutrons.
* Therefore, the mass number of carbon is 6 (protons) + 6 (neutrons) = 12.
Key points:
* Mass number is a whole number. It's often written as a superscript to the left of the element's symbol (e.g., ¹²C).
* Mass number can vary for the same element. This is due to the presence of isotopes, which are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons. For example, carbon-12 (¹²C) and carbon-14 (¹⁴C) are both isotopes of carbon.
Let me know if you'd like to work through more examples!
