Question

If neon has an atomic number of 10 and an atomic mass of 20, it has ________ neutron(s) in its nucleus

Answer 1

Atomic mass = number of protons + number of neutrons.

So the number of neutrons = Atomic mass - number of protons.

Atomic number = number of protons in the atom.

Therefore number of neutrons in neon = 20 - 10 = 10.

Answer is 10 neutrons..

Answer 2

The correct answer is 10

Step-by-step explanation:

To begin with, an atom always contains neutrons and protons located in the nucleus along with neutrons that orbit it. In this context, the atomic number represented by Z is equivalent to the number of protons or positively charged particles. This means if neon has an atomic number of 10 the number of protons is 10. On the other hand, the atomic mass is mainly defined by the number of protons and neutrons. This implies, in the case presented, the number of neutrons in the neon atom is 10 considering the atomic mass 20 (number of protons and neutrons) - atomic number 10 (number of protons) = 10 neutrons.