I would really appreciate help with the following, as I don't understand how to work it. Thank you in advance for explaining it to me.
The mass number (A) of a nuclide is equal to the number of --- blank --- in one of its nuclei. There are 4 answers to choose from: Protons, Neutrons, Protons+neutrons, or neutrons+electrons?
The atomic number of an element tells you how many protons there are in the nucleus. The atomic number is the number on the periodic table that increases by 1 from one element to the next. Check it out. The mass number of an element is the number of nucleons for that element. Nucleons is not one of the answers listed in your problem but nucleons is a way of saying "protons + neutrons"' i.e., the total of what is in the nucleus.
Thank you, DrBob. I am not understanding what is meant by the "nuclide"?
Just substitute the word "element" or "nucleus" or "atom" for nuclide.
To determine the correct answer, we need to understand the concept of the mass number (A) of a nuclide. The mass number of a nuclide refers to the total number of particles in the nucleus of an atom.
An atom consists of protons, neutrons, and electrons. However, the electrons have negligible mass compared to protons and neutrons, so they do not significantly contribute to the mass number.
Protons have a positive charge and are located in the nucleus. Neutrons are neutral and also reside in the nucleus. Both protons and neutrons have similar masses.
Based on this information, we can conclude that the correct answer is "Protons + Neutrons." The mass number (A) of a nuclide is equal to the sum of the protons and neutrons in its nucleus.
Therefore, the number of protons (atomic number, Z) along with the number of neutrons determines the mass number (A) of a nuclide.