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Determine the isotope symbol that fits each description.

a. Carbon-12
b. Oxygen-16
c. Uranium-235
d. Hydrogen-1

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Final answer:

Isotope symbols are designated by their element's symbol, the atomic number as a subscript, and the mass number as a superscript. For example, Carbon-12, a stable isotope, is represented as ¹²C. Similarly, Oxygen-16, Uranium-235, and Hydrogen-1 are depicted as ⁸ⁱ⁶O, ¹¹²⁵U, and ¹H respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the isotope symbol for each description, we reference the atomic number (number of protons) and the mass number (total number of protons and neutrons). For example:

The isotope symbol for carbon-12 is ¹²C. This means that it has 6 protons and 6 neutrons

The isotope symbol for oxygen-16 is ¹⁶O. It has 8 protons and 8 neutrons.

The isotope symbol for uranium-235 is ²³⁵U. It has 92 protons and 235 - 92 = 143 neutrons.

The isotope symbol for hydrogen-1 is ¹H. It has 1 proton and no neutrons.

These symbols explain the composition of each isotope, which includes information about its stability and possible applications, like Carbon-12 which is stable and commonly found in nature.

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