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Since protons are of the same charge, they naturally repel each other within the nucleus, and since they are so close together, the repelling force is enormous. Therefore, the function of neutrons (uncharged particles) is to buffer the forces between the protons. But as atoms increase in size, there are more protons and more neutrons are needed to buffer to protons. The reason for the increase is the spherical nature of the nucleus. And the rest of the story is... that all the neutrons and protons in a nucleus, the nucleons (notice we hit you with another term - nucleon - which means a particle in the nucleus, a neutron or proton) have to undergo a magical transformation when the atomic nucleus is formed. Let's back up. The first post is exactly right. Protons, those little positively charged critters, don't like each other. It's the first law of electrostatics - opposite charges attract and like charges repel. So the protons don't like each other. What happens when any nucleus forms (by fusion or as the result of nuclear decay or by nuclear fission) is that all the nucleons (that term again meaning a proton or neutron) go to Jenny Craig and lose a bit of weight. Actually it's mass, but pretty close to the same thing. This mass is converted to binding energy or nuclear glue. That's what holds the nucleus together. Binding energy. Remember Einstein? Yeah, the genius with the freaky hair. Him. He said matter and energy are the same thing. (And the conversion factor is the square of the speed of light. Wow!) Each nucleon goes on that diet and gets slimmer. It's called mass deficit - the reduction of the mass of a nucleon made as a contribution to the creation of the binding energy necessary to hold the nucleus of an atom together. Are we good? So as heavier and heavier nuclei are formed, the number of those grumpy little protons increases to the point where we have to have progressively more and more binding energy to hold the whole thing together. And the neutrons contribute to that cause. Instant replay: heavier nuclei need progressively more binding energy to hold the nucleus together 'cause the protons (which don't like each other) are getting more grumpy, and more and more neutrons are needed to undergo mass deficit to contribute to increased binding energy to make the whole thing stay together. It's clear what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Hey, there must be a point where we just can't get enough binding energy to glue a super heavy nucleus together." You're right. Absolutely correct.

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What is the name given to atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons?

Atoms of the same element cannot have different numbers of protons. Different numbers of protons mean different elements. An atom with the a different number of neutrons is called an isotope.


Isotopes of an element have a different number of?

neutrons


Isotopes have the same element but different?

Isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons and electrons, but varied numbers of neutrons.


What atom has the same element same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons?

Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. For example, carbon-12 and carbon-14 are isotopes of carbon with 6 protons but 6 and 8 neutrons, respectively.


Is the is the sum of the numbers of protons and neutrons in an isotope of the element?

Isotopes involve different atomic masses. It is sum of number of protons and neutrons.


Do both isotopes have the same mass number?

An Isotope of an element is an atom that has the same number of protons, (number of protons is the defining feature of an element) but different number of neutrons.Because The mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons, different isotopes have different mass numbers.


Atom does not have to have equal numbers of protons and?

neutrons in order to be stable. The number of protons determines the element's identity, while the stability of the nucleus is influenced by the balance of protons and neutrons. Isotopes can have different numbers of neutrons while maintaining the same number of protons.


Are the Isotopes are atoms of the same element with the same number of protons and?

The isotopes of an element have the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons.


What does isotopes?

All atoms of an element contain the same number of electrons and protons but they can have different numbers of neutrons. Atoms with different numbers of neutrons are isotopes.


How do the numbers of protons neutrons and electrons for an element compare?

In the neutral state, all atoms of the same element contain equal numbers of protons and electrons. However, most elements have atoms with different numbers of neutrons. These are called isotopes.


What does the mass number tell about an isotope?

The mass number of an isotope tells you the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of that atom. It is used to distinguish different isotopes of an element, as isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.


What atom has the same number of protons and a different number of neutrons from other atoms of the same element?

Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but differing numbers of neutrons in the nucleus.