Isotopes are atoms with the same ______ number but different ______ numbers.

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of isotopes: Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but differ in the number of neutrons.
2. Recall that the atomic number represents the number of protons in an atom, which defines the element.
3. Note that the mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.
4. Recognize that isotopes of an element have the same atomic number (protons) but different mass numbers due to varying numbers of neutrons.
5. To answer the question, fill in the blanks with 'atomic' for the first blank and 'mass' for the second blank, as isotopes have the same atomic number but different mass numbers.

Key Concepts

Atomic Number

The atomic number of an element is the number of protons found in the nucleus of its atoms. It defines the element and determines its position on the periodic table. For isotopes of the same element, the atomic number remains constant, indicating that they are the same element despite differences in their mass.

Mass Number

The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus. Isotopes of an element differ in mass number because they have varying numbers of neutrons. This difference in neutrons leads to variations in the physical properties of the isotopes, such as stability and radioactivity.

Isotopes

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This results in different mass numbers for the isotopes. Isotopes can be stable or unstable, with unstable isotopes undergoing radioactive decay, which is important in fields like medicine and archaeology.