Different isotopes of the same element have different numbers of what?
recall that a neutral atom has equal numbers of electrons and protons.
So ...
Different isotopes of the same element have different numbers of neutrons. Neutrons are one of the three fundamental particles that make up an atom, along with protons and electrons. While the number of protons in the nucleus determines the element's identity, the number of neutrons can vary among different isotopes of the same element.
To determine the number of neutrons in an isotope of an element, you will need to know its atomic number and mass number. The atomic number represents the number of protons in the nucleus, which is specific to each element. The mass number, on the other hand, represents the sum of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus.
To calculate the number of neutrons, subtract the atomic number from the mass number. For example, let's take carbon as an element. Carbon has an atomic number of 6, meaning it has 6 protons. It has different isotopes with different mass numbers, such as carbon-12 and carbon-14. Carbon-12 has a mass number of 12, so to find the number of neutrons, we subtract the atomic number (6) from the mass number (12), resulting in 6 neutrons. Similarly, carbon-14 has a mass number of 14 and 6 protons, hence it has 8 neutrons.
In summary, the number of neutrons is what differentiates isotopes of the same element. It is calculated by subtracting the atomic number from the mass number.