Question

each what has its own mass number

Answer 1

In the context of atomic physics and chemistry, each isotope of an element has its own mass number. The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. Since isotopes of a given element have the same number of protons (which defines the element) but different numbers of neutrons, their mass numbers differ.

For example:
- Carbon-12 (^12C) has 6 protons and 6 neutrons, giving it a mass number of 12.
- Carbon-14 (^14C) has 6 protons and 8 neutrons, leading to a mass number of 14.

Thus, each isotope of an element can be identified by its unique mass number.