A carbon atom has a mass number of 12. How many protons and how many neutrons does it have?

Answer 1

The atom has #6# #"protons"#, and #6# #"neutrons"#.

You specified a carbon atom. By definition, the #C# atom has 6 protons, 6 positively charged nuclear particles, in its nucleus. You further specified the #""^12C# isotope. There must be 6 neutrons, 6 neutrally charged, massive particles in its nucleus.

If it's a carbon atom, the number of protons cannot change (why not?), but the number of neutrons in the nucleus can vary. #""^13C#, and #""^14C# isotopes are known. How many neutrons does each nuclide possess?

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Answer 2

Xavier Avery

Six protons and six neutrons make up an atom of carbon with a mass number of twelve.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.