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Short Answer:
There are more protons than neutrons in the human body.
This is primarily because we are mostly water and H2O is mostly hydrogen. Hydrogen is a single proton and is 25% of all the atoms in the body.
Of the six elements that make up 99% of the mass of the human body (oxygen 65%, carbon 18%, hydrogen 10%, nitrogen 3%, calcium 1.4%, phosphorous 1.1%), all but hydrogen and phosphorous have an equal number protons and neutrons in the dominant isotope and hydrogen, be 25% of all atoms, overwhelms the balance giving more protons than neutrons.
Long Answer:
The human body (and other living things) contains a much greater number of protons than neutrons. Consider the data from the "related links" below which describe the elemental composition of the human body. This data allows one to calculate the number of neutrons and protons for each element and determine that there are about 4.15*10^27 protons more than the number of neutrons.
Perform the following calculations for each of the elements on the list: determine the difference between number of neutrons and protons in the atomic nucleus and call it N-P ('N' minus 'P') for each element; divide the mass in grams of the element in the human body by the Atomic Mass of the element to get the moles of the element in the human body; multiply the moles by Avagadro's constant (~6.022*10^23) to get the number of atoms; multiply the number of atoms with N-P to get the net neutrons for the element.
The list at the cited webpage is conveniently in order of most abundant to least abundant. If we look at only the first fifteen elements at the ones that have N-P not equal to zero we find that the net neutrons is on the order of -(10^27). This is due to the fact that Hydrogen has 1 proton and 0 neutrons (N-P = -1), and with a mass contribution of 7 kilograms to the human body, adds nearly 7000 moles of protons. Note, I'm ignoring the rest of the elements on the list after Cadmiun (the fifteenth with N-P != 0) since the mass contribution after Cadmium is less than 0.050 grams, none of the remaining elements should be able to contribute enough neutrons to increase the net neutrons into positive range. (The trend is much more clear if you perform the calculations and list the elements.)
Additionally, although Carbon makes up ~16 kilograms of the body, the amount of isotopic carbon is only about 1% of that value at most, so the contribution from isotopic carbon would be only about 160 grams, which if it were all C14, would only add 1.38*10^25 neutrons.
What else can I help you with?
Why does atom of different elements weigh differently?
Atoms of different elements weigh differently because they have different numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The mass of an atom is mostly determined by the protons and neutrons in the nucleus, with electrons contributing very little to the overall mass. The number of protons in the nucleus (atomic number) determines the element and its characteristic properties.
Which subatomic particles contribute the most to the mass of potassium?
The protons and neutrons contribute the most to the mass of potassium. Protons have a positive charge and determine the element's identity, while neutrons provide additional mass without affecting the charge. Electrons have negligible mass compared to protons and neutrons.
What is contained inside the nucleus of an atom?
The nucleus of an atom contains protons and neutrons, which are called nucleons. Protons have a positive charge, while neutrons have no charge. Electrons, which have a negative charge, orbit around the nucleus in electron clouds.
Do all atoms contain proton neutron and electron?
yes, all normal atoms do, but there are things called ions and isotopes that have fewer or more electrons and neutrons
Is the number of protons equal to the number of neutrons in an atom?
The number of neutrons in an atom CAN be equal to the number of protons and electrons, BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS. You can find the number of neutrons in an atom by subtracting the atomic number from the mass number. The number is often the same among the lighter elements, but the ratio of neutrons to protons quickly grows larger than one (on average) as you go further along the periodic table.
Can the nucleus hold two or more protons?
A nucleus contain protons and neutrons. A nucleus can hold more protons - the number is equal to atomic number.
Most atoms contain one or more?
electrons, protons, and neutrons. These subatomic particles make up the structure of an atom.
Why do heavy elements neclei contain proportionally more neutrons than light element nuclei?
Heavy elements contain more protons, which repel each other due to their positive charge. Neutrons help stabilize the nucleus by adding nuclear binding energy without adding additional electrostatic repulsion like protons do. Therefore, heavy nuclei tend to have more neutrons to help balance out the increased number of protons.
An atom that has more nuetrons that protons?
If you are thinking of isotopes, which are naturally occurring atomic structures that vary in the number of neutrons atom to atom. ex Carbon 12 13 14. But otherwise lots of atomic structures contain more neutrons than protons or electrons. Uranium for example 92 protons 146 neutrons
Why do atoms of heavier elements generally contain more neutrons than protons?
because the protons and electrons HAVE to cancel out each other and ive knowtest that normally, there are around 1/2 as many neutrons then protons.
Heavy elements contain more protons or neutron?
Heavy elements generally contain more neutrons than protons. This is because as the number of protons increases in heavier elements, the strong nuclear force needs additional neutrons to help offset the repulsive forces between the positively charged protons. This results in a higher neutron-to-proton ratio in heavier elements compared to lighter ones.
What is contained in an atom?
An atom contains protons and neutrons in its nucleus, surrounded by electrons orbiting in energy levels. The protons have a positive charge, the electrons have a negative charge, and the neutrons have no charge. Together, these subatomic particles make up the structure of an atom.
What do atoms contain one or more of?
Well, in a rather large nutshell, atoms contain protons, neutrons, and electrons. Simple! I learned in a short explanation. Thanks!
An atom that has more neutrons than protons is called what?
An atom that has more neutrons than protons is called an Isotope.
Do neutral lithium atoms contain more neutrons than protons?
Neutral lithium atoms contain more neutrons than protons. A lithium atom typically has 3 protons in its nucleus, giving it an atomic number of 3, and it usually has 4 neutrons which adds to the mass number of 7.
Why does atom of different elements weigh differently?
Atoms of different elements weigh differently because they have different numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The mass of an atom is mostly determined by the protons and neutrons in the nucleus, with electrons contributing very little to the overall mass. The number of protons in the nucleus (atomic number) determines the element and its characteristic properties.
Atoms located above the band of stability on a graph of numbers of nuetrons versus number of protons are usually unstable because they contain too many what?
Neutrons. Atoms located above the band of stability have an excess of neutrons compared to protons, which makes them relatively unstable. This imbalance in the ratio of neutrons to protons can lead to radioactive decay in an attempt to reach a more stable configuration.
