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How do you calculate protons neutrons and electrons in an atom. full explanation​

User Savedario
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Final answer:

To calculate the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom, use the atomic number (Z) to find the number of protons, the mass number (A) to find the number of neutrons, and for a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom, you can use the following formulas:

  1. The number of protons is equal to the atomic number (Z) of the element. For example, sodium (Na) has an atomic number of 11, so it has 11 protons.
  2. The number of neutrons is equal to the mass number (A) of the element minus the number of protons. For example, sodium has a mass number of 23, so it has 23 - 11 = 12 neutrons.
  3. The number of electrons is equal to the number of protons in a neutral atom. So, sodium, which has 11 protons, also has 11 electrons.

Therefore, sodium has 11 protons, 12 neutrons, and 11 electrons.

User Louann
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