(1) Which of the following is true about the following atoms: carbon, nitrogen,oxygen and fluorine?
(a) they all have the same number of electrons.
(b) they all have the same number of protons.
(c) they all have the same number of neutrons.
(2) which of the following is true about the following atoms: sodium, magnesium, aluminum and potassium?
(a) they all have the same number of electrons.
(b) they all have the same number of protons.
(c) they all have the same number of neutrons.
For the first question, (b) they all have the same number of protons is true for carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine since they are all elements and the number of protons determines the element.
For the second question, (b) they all have the same number of protons is not true. Sodium, magnesium, aluminum, and potassium are different elements and therefore have different numbers of protons.
For (1) carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine:
(a) They do not all have the same number of electrons. Each atom has a different number of electrons. Carbon has 6 electrons, nitrogen has 7 electrons, oxygen has 8 electrons, and fluorine has 9 electrons.
(b) They do not all have the same number of protons. Each atom has a different number of protons. Carbon has 6 protons, nitrogen has 7 protons, oxygen has 8 protons, and fluorine has 9 protons.
(c) They do not all have the same number of neutrons. Each atom has a different number of neutrons. The number of neutrons can vary for each atom depending on the isotope of the element.
For (2) sodium, magnesium, aluminum, and potassium:
(a) They do not all have the same number of electrons. Each atom has a different number of electrons. Sodium has 11 electrons, magnesium has 12 electrons, aluminum has 13 electrons, and potassium has 19 electrons.
(b) They do not all have the same number of protons. Each atom has a different number of protons. Sodium has 11 protons, magnesium has 12 protons, aluminum has 13 protons, and potassium has 19 protons.
(c) They do not all have the same number of neutrons. Each atom has a different number of neutrons. The number of neutrons can vary for each atom depending on the isotope of the element.
To determine which option is true for each set of atoms, we need to understand the basic properties of atoms and their subatomic particles.
1. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine:
(a) They all have the same number of electrons: This statement is incorrect. Each of these atoms has a different number of electrons. Carbon has 6 electrons, nitrogen has 7 electrons, oxygen has 8 electrons, and fluorine has 9 electrons.
(b) They all have the same number of protons: This statement is also incorrect. The number of protons in an atom determines its atomic number and defines its identity. Carbon has 6 protons, nitrogen has 7 protons, oxygen has 8 protons, and fluorine has 9 protons.
(c) They all have the same number of neutrons: This statement is ambiguous. The number of neutrons in an atom can vary within the same element, forming isotopes. For example, carbon-12 and carbon-14 have different numbers of neutrons despite being the same element. Therefore, without specifying the isotope, we cannot determine if the statement is true or false.
2. Sodium, magnesium, aluminum, and potassium:
(a) They all have the same number of electrons: This statement is incorrect. Like the previous set of atoms, each of these atoms has a different number of electrons. Sodium has 11 electrons, magnesium has 12 electrons, aluminum has 13 electrons, and potassium has 19 electrons.
(b) They all have the same number of protons: This statement is incorrect. Sodium has 11 protons, magnesium has 12 protons, aluminum has 13 protons, and potassium has 19 protons.
(c) They all have the same number of neutrons: This statement is ambiguous, as there can be different isotopes of each element with varying numbers of neutrons. Therefore, without specifying the isotope, we cannot determine if the statement is true or false.
In summary, for both sets of atoms, none of the statements (a), (b), or (c) are true.