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A neutral atom of carbon has 6 protons, and in a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons. Therefore, a neutral carbon atom has 6 electrons.
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An atom with a mass number of 17 and an atomic number of 9 can be analyzed as follows:
- The atomic number (9) represents the number of protons.
- The mass number (17) is the sum of protons and neutrons.
To find the number of neutrons, you can use the formula:
\[ \text{Number of neutrons} = \text{Mass number} - \text{Atomic number} \]
Thus:
\[ \text{Number of neutrons} = 17 - 9 = 8 \]
So, this atom has 8 neutrons.