Asked by huhhf3;q

Which subatomic particles are used to calculate the atomic number? Which subatomic particles are used to calculate the mass number?

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
- Atomic number (Z) is determined by the number of protons in the nucleus.
- Mass number (A) is the total number of nucleons: protons + neutrons (A = Z + N).

Example: Carbon-12 has 6 protons (Z = 6) and 6 neutrons, so A = 6 + 6 = 12. Electrons are not used to calculate A and only equal Z in a neutral atom.