41. A neutron atom of potassium has an atomic number of 19 and an atomic mass number of 39. Find its number of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
This is what I got-
Protons: 19
Neutrons: 20
Electrons: ?
Thanks
-MC
**Not US History, haha
-MC
The electrons must be the same as the protons, or, Lord help us, each atom would be repulsively charged.
So..19, right?
Thanks!
-MC
yes, 19
To find the number of electrons for a neutral atom, we can assume that the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. This assumption is based on the fact that atoms are electrically neutral, meaning they have an equal number of positively charged protons and negatively charged electrons.
Given that the atomic number of potassium is 19, it tells us that a neutral atom of potassium has 19 protons.
The atomic mass number (also known as the mass number) represents the sum of protons and neutrons in an atom. In this case, the atomic mass number of potassium is 39.
To find the number of neutrons, we subtract the number of protons from the atomic mass number. Therefore, the number of neutrons in a neutral atom of potassium is 39 - 19 = 20.
So, the final answer is:
Protons: 19
Neutrons: 20
Electrons: 19