how would you find the answer?
A carbon nucleus has six protons and six neutrons. How many electrons would it take to equal the mass of a carbon nucleus?
To find the answer, we need to know the relative masses of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The mass of a proton and a neutron is approximately equal, both being around 1 atomic mass unit (amu). On the other hand, the mass of an electron is about 1/1836 amu.
Given that a carbon nucleus has six protons and six neutrons, we can calculate its total mass. Multiplying the mass of a proton/neutron (1 amu) by the number of protons/neutrons (6 each) gives us a mass of 12 amu for a carbon nucleus.
To determine how many electrons would be needed to equal the mass of a carbon nucleus, we need to compare the mass of an electron to that of a carbon nucleus. Since the mass of an electron is much smaller than that of a proton/neutron, it would require a significantly larger number of electrons to equal the mass of a carbon nucleus.
To do the calculation, we divide the mass of a carbon nucleus (12 amu) by the mass of an electron (1/1836 amu):
12 amu / (1/1836 amu) = 12 * 1836 ≈ 22032
Therefore, it would take approximately 22,032 electrons to equal the mass of a carbon nucleus.