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QuestionChemistry

How many protons, neutrons, and electrons does an atom of neon contain based on the atomic symbol? A) Protons: 10, Neutrons: 10, Electrons: 10 B) Protons: 10, Neutrons: 18, Electrons: 10 C) Protons: 20, Neutrons: 10, Electrons: 20 D) Protons: 10, Neutrons: 10, Electrons: 20
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Answer

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Step 1:
I'll solve this step by step using the proper LaTeX formatting:

Step 2:
: Understand the Atomic Symbol

- The top left number ($$20$$) represents the total number of protons and neutrons (mass number)
- The bottom left number (10) represents the number of protons

Step 3:
: Calculate Number of Protons

- The atomic number (number of protons) is $$10
- This means a neon atom always has 10 protons

Step 4:
: Calculate Number of Neutrons

- $$\text{Neutrons} = 20 - 10 = 10
- Mass number = Protons + Neutrons

Step 5:
: Calculate Number of Electrons

- Therefore, neon has $$10$$ electrons
- In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons

Final Answer

A) Protons: 10, Neutrons: 10, Electrons: 10