Question

The atomic number of sulfur is 16, which indicates that a sulfur atom contains

Answer 1

The atomic number of sulfur (S) is 16, indicating that a sulfur atom contains 16 protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Step-by-step explanation:

The atomic number of sulfur (S) is 16, which indicates that a sulfur atom contains 16 protons. The number of protons, also known as the atomic number, determines the identity of the element. In addition to protons, sulfur atoms also contain neutrons and electrons.

Neutrons are particles with no charge that are found in the nucleus of an atom. The number of neutrons in a sulfur atom can vary, as there are different isotopes of sulfur with different numbers of neutrons.

Electrons are negatively charged particles that orbit around the nucleus. The number of electrons in a sulfur atom is also 16, since an atom is electrically neutral and has the same number of protons and electrons.

Answer 2

The atomic number of an element indicates only how many protons are in that specific element. The atomic number of sulfur is 16, so it means that in one sulfur atom, there are 16 protons. The number of protons is also equal to the number of electrons in any given atom, so this number also indicates that there are 16 electrons in a sulfur atom.