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If an atom has 8 protons, and an atomic number of 8, how many electrons will it have? … My son just brought this question to me; I told him 8 and he got the answer wrong. I’m befuddled.

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I apologize for the confusion. Your initial answer was correct. If an atom has 8 protons, it means it has an atomic number of 8. In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. Therefore, an atom with 8 protons (atomic number 8) will also have 8 electrons.

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