To determine the number of electrons, protons, and neutrons in an atom, we use the atomic number (Z) and the atomic mass (A).
Given: Atomic number (Z) = 24 Atomic mass (A) = 52
The atomic number (Z) represents the number of protons in an atom. Therefore, the element with atomic number 24 has 24 protons.
To find the number of neutrons, we subtract the atomic number (Z) from the atomic mass (A). This is because the atomic mass represents the sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
Number of neutrons = Atomic mass (A) - Atomic number (Z) Number of neutrons = 52 - 24 Number of neutrons = 28
Therefore, the element with atomic number 24 and atomic mass 52 has:
- 24 protons
- 28 neutrons
- To find the number of electrons, we assume the atom is electrically neutral, which means it has the same number of protons and electrons. Thus, it also has 24 electrons.