Question

The image shows the nucleus of a nitrogen atom. How can the atomic number of nitrogen be determined?
count the number of neutrons.
Count the number of protons.
Add the number of protons and neutrons.
Count the number of electrons.


1 Attachment
• 920202424201380234pm1184052420.jpg 920202424201380234pm1184052420.jpg

Answer 1

Well by definition the atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus. For an unionized element this number should be equal to the number of electrons that element has. Your attachments are not visible so it's not possible to answer the question with certainty.

Answer 2

count the protons. counting electrons won't work, because you may be looking at an ion, which is charged, and has lost or gained electrons. Protons plus neutrons gives MASS NUMBER - multiply by mass of proton (about same as neutron) and you get the mass of the nucleus/atom in kg. Counting neutrons ? well, there are often radioactively unstable ISOTOPES of which Carbon 14 (carbon dating) is an example. "Normal" carbon is carbon 12. I think that nitrogen also has an isotope that does funny things. Then there's "heavy" hydrogen and heavy water - deuterium D and D2O. The nucleus of the D contains one proton and one neutron, whereas that of H contains only one proton (half the mass of D)
Bon voyage, et bon chance
http://perendis.webs.com