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Ca-46 is an isotope of the calcium found on the Periodic Table. The atomic number is equivalent to how many protons the atom has and tells the identity of the element, if the number of protons is changed/ Atomic Mass number, the element would transmutate into another element. Thus, Ca always has 20 protons. Because it is not Ca++ or Ca- it is not changing the charge so no electrons are moving either. This means the number 46 is refering to a change in neutron in the nucleus of the atom, hence it is called an isotope. 46 is the number of protons plus neutrons so the isotope of Calcium has 20 protons, 20 electrons and 26 neutrons, or 46-20=26. Hope this clarifies things.

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14y ago

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