Question

METAL IF RIGHT
if you could have an isotope of element carbon with mass number 14 what other info could you use to determine neutrons

Answer 1

Neutron Madness
Isotopes are atoms of elements with different numbers of neutrons We have already learned that ions are atoms that are either missing or have extra electrons. Let's say an atom is missing a neutron or has an extra neutron. That type of atom is called an isotope. An atom is still the same element if it is missing an electron. The same goes for isotopes. They are still the same element. They are just a little different from every other atom of the same element.

For example, there are a lot of carbon (C) atoms in the Universe. The normal ones are carbon-12. Those atoms have 6 neutrons. There are a few straggler atoms that don't have 6. Those odd ones may have 7 or even 8 neutrons. As you learn more about chemistry, you will probably hear about carbon-14. Carbon-14 actually has 8 neutrons (2 extra). C-14 is considered an isotope of the element carbon.
Messing with the Mass
If you have looked at a periodic table, you may have noticed that the atomic mass of an element is rarely an even number. That happens because of the isotopes. If you are an atom with an extra electron, it's no big deal. Electrons don't have much of a mass when compared to a neutron or proton.

Many atoms of the same element have different atomic masses Atomic masses are calculated by figuring out the amounts of each type of atom and isotope there are in the Universe. For carbon, there are a lot of C-12, a couple of C-13, and a few C-14 atoms. When you average out all of the masses, you get a number that is a little bit higher than 12 (the weight of a C-12 atom). The average atomic mass for the element is actually 12.011. Since you never really know which carbon atom you are using in calculations, you should use the average mass of an atom.