What is the same in two isotopes of an element? What is different?
The number of protons is the same.
The number of neutrons is different.
It can be rephrased to say the same thing as
The atomic number is the same, the mass number is different.
In two isotopes of an element, the number of protons (which determines the element's identity) is the same. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons.
What is the same:
1. Number of protons: Isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons, which defines the element. For example, all carbon isotopes have 6 protons.
What is different:
1. Number of neutrons: Isotopes differ in the number of neutrons, which affects the atom's mass. For example, carbon-12 has 6 neutrons, while carbon-14 has 8 neutrons.
2. Mass number: The mass number of an isotope is the sum of protons and neutrons. Since the number of neutrons varies in isotopes, their mass numbers differ.
3. Stability: Some isotopes are stable, meaning they do not decay over time, while others are unstable and undergo radioactive decay.
To determine what is the same and different in isotopes, you can look up the atomic number (number of protons) of the element and its mass number (sum of protons and neutrons) in a periodic table or scientific resource. Subtracting the atomic number from the mass number will give you the number of neutrons.