Question

Which statement about the balanced equations for nuclear and chemical changes is correct?

a) "In nuclear changes, the number of protons changes."
b) "Chemical changes involve changes in atomic number."
c) "Nuclear changes conserve mass but not atomic number."
d) "Chemical changes result in the formation of new elements."

Answer 1

The correct statement is that in nuclear changes, the number of protons changes, reflecting changes in atomic number and often leading to the creation of a different element.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement about the balanced equations for nuclear and chemical changes is a) "In nuclear changes, the number of protons changes." In a nuclear reaction, the nucleus of an atom can be transformed into the nucleus of another element, leading to a change in the atomic number, which is the number of protons in the nucleus. This can occur through processes like alpha decay, beta decay, or other nuclear transformations. Chemical changes, however, involve only the rearrangement of electrons and do not change the atomic number. Additionally, nuclear reactions can result in mass changes that are measurable, and they involve much larger energies than chemical reactions.