Question

Compared to an atom of N-14, an atom of N-15 has a greater ___________.

A) Atomic number
B) Number of electrons
C) Atomic mass
D) Number of protons

Answer 1

An atom of N-15 has a greater atomic mass compared to an atom of N-14 because it has one more neutron, although both have the same number of protons.

Step-by-step explanation:

Compared to an atom of N-14, an atom of N-15 has a greater atomic mass. Despite having the same number of protons, which defines an element's atomic number, isotopes of an element such as nitrogen can differ in the number of neutrons. The notation N-14 and N-15 represents the mass numbers (A) of the nitrogen isotopes, where the atomic number (Z) is the number of protons (seven for nitrogen) and the difference between the mass number and the atomic number gives us the number of neutrons. Therefore, N-15 has one more neutron than N-14, resulting in a greater atomic mass.