The nucleon and proton numbers of a neutral atom of an element are 238 and 92 respectively. Determine the number of neutrons in the atom.
Answer Details
The nucleon number of an atom is the total number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus, while the proton number is the number of protons. Therefore, to determine the number of neutrons in an atom, we can subtract the proton number from the nucleon number.
In this case, the nucleon number is 238 and the proton number is 92.
Number of neutrons = Nucleon number - Proton number
Number of neutrons = 238 - 92
Number of neutrons = 146
Therefore, the answer is: 146 neutrons.