A neutral element has 45 neutrons per atom and a mass number of 80. What is the identity of this element?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mass number of an element is the number of protons and neutrons per atom. Subtracting the number of neutrons from the mass number gives the number of protons in an atom, or the atomic number. In the context of the question, subtracting 45 from 80 gives an atomic number of 35. From here, it is easy to identify the element as bromine.

A Neutral Element Has 45 Neutrons Per Atom and a Mass