Final answer:
The symbols for neon isotopes including atomic and mass numbers are Neon-20: 20Ne10, Neon-21: 21Ne10, and Neon-22: 22Ne10, corresponding to different numbers of neutrons but the same number of protons (10).
Step-by-step explanation:
To write the correct symbols for the isotopes neon-20, neon-21, and neon-22, you must include both the atomic number and the mass number for each isotope. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom and is unique to each element. The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus.
Neon has an atomic number of 10, which means it has 10 protons. The three isotopes of neon have different numbers of neutrons:
- Neon-20 has 20 - 10 = 10 neutrons
- Neon-21 has 21 - 10 = 11 neutrons
- Neon-22 has 22 - 10 = 12 neutrons
The symbols for these isotopes of neon, which are all neutral (having equal numbers of protons and electrons), are written as:
- Neon-20: 20Ne10
- Neon-21: 21Ne10
- Neon-22: 22Ne10
The superscripted number is the mass number (sum of protons and neutrons), and the subscripted number is the atomic number (number of protons).