How can the number of neutrons in an atom be determined?

Answer 1

1. Locate the element on the Periodic Table.
2. Find the element’s atomic number (which is the same as the number of protons)
3. Find the element’s atomic weight.
4. Round off the atomic weight to the nearest whole number to find the Atomic Mass.
5. Subtract the atomic number from the atomic mass (The numbers after the decimal point represent the usually very small mass of the electrons in the atom.)

Answer 2

The number of neutrons in an atom can be determined by subtracting the number of protons (atomic number) from the atomic mass of the atom. Atomic mass is the combined mass of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Nuclei with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons are isotopes of the same element.

Answer 3

The number of protons in an atom gives you the elemental identity of that atom, and it represents that element's atomic number. Also in an atom, the number of protons plus the number of nuetrons gives you the atomic mass of that atom. If you have the atomic mass and the atomic number of an atom, you then subtract the atomic number from the atomic mass to get the neutron count. It's pretty simple math, and that's how it works.

Answer 4

In order to determine the number of protons, neutrons and electrons that are in an atom, the first thing you need to do is find the atomic number and the atomic mass of the element you are interested in. You can use the Periodic Table of Elements to find this information. Let's use Mercury as an example:

From the Table of Elements, we can see that mercury's atomic number is 80 and its atomic mass is 200.59. We'll need these numbers to get the information you want. The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom's nucleus, so we can tell right away that an atom of mercury contains 80 protons. Atoms, by definition, are electrically neutral. Protons carry a positive charge, so the nucleus of an atom of mercury carries a charge of +80. This positive charge is balanced by electrons, which carry a negative charge. 80 electrons are needed to balance the 80 protons. The atomic mass is sort of an average of all of the different isotopes of an element. Mercury's atomic mass is 200.59, but we can round that to 201 (this is known as the mass number). This is a tally of the total number of particles in an atom's nucleus, so an 'average' atom of mercury contains 201 particles in its nucleus. We know that 80 of those particles are protons. The rest must be neutrons. So, an atom of mercury contains 201 - 80 = 121 neutrons. In summary:protons = atomic numberelectrons = atomic numberneutrons = rounded atomic mass - atomic number

Answer 5

An atom's atomic number is equal to its number of protons. An atom's atomic mass is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. Consequently, an atom's number of neutrons is equal to its atomic mass minus its atomic number.

Answer 6

The Atomic number represents the number of protons and electrons in an element, and the atomic mass represents the number of protons added to the number to the neutrons. Therefore if you have the atomic mass and atomic number of an element you can easily find the amount of neutrons in an element

Answer 7

the number of neutrons is figured out by simple mathematics. Take the mass number (for Carbon it is 12) and subtract the number of protons from the atomic mass number and then you will get the number of neutrons in the atom.

Answer 8

Subtract the atomic number from the atomic mass.

Answer 9

By subtracting the atomic number from the mass number. For example, in sodium the mass number is 23 and the proton number is 11. Thus the number of neutrons is 23 - 11 = 12

Answer 10

You would need the atom's atomic mass and atomic number. Subtract atomic number from atomic mass to get the number of neutrons.