Question
An atom of iron has an atomic number of 26 and a mass number of 56. How many protons, neutrons, and electrons are contained in this atom?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
An atom of iron (Fe) with an atomic number of 26 has the following properties:
- **Protons**: The atomic number indicates the number of protons in the atom, which is 26 for iron.
- **Electrons**: In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. Therefore, this atom of iron also has 26 electrons.
- **Neutrons**: The mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons. To find the number of neutrons, subtract the number of protons from the mass number:
\[
\text{Neutrons} = \text{Mass Number} - \text{Protons} = 56 - 26 = 30
\]
In summary, an atom of iron with an atomic number of 26 and a mass number of 56 contains:
- **Protons**: 26
- **Neutrons**: 30
- **Electrons**: 26
- **Protons**: The atomic number indicates the number of protons in the atom, which is 26 for iron.
- **Electrons**: In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. Therefore, this atom of iron also has 26 electrons.
- **Neutrons**: The mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons. To find the number of neutrons, subtract the number of protons from the mass number:
\[
\text{Neutrons} = \text{Mass Number} - \text{Protons} = 56 - 26 = 30
\]
In summary, an atom of iron with an atomic number of 26 and a mass number of 56 contains:
- **Protons**: 26
- **Neutrons**: 30
- **Electrons**: 26