How many protons and neutrons are in an atom of carbon-14?

• A. 6 protons and 6 neutrons
• B. 6 protons and 8 neutrons
• C. 7 protons and 7 neutrons
• D. 8 protons and 6 neutrons

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the atomic number of carbon, which is the number of protons in the atom. For carbon, the atomic number is 6, so there are 6 protons.
2. Understand that the number after the element name (in this case, 14 in carbon-14) is the mass number, which is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
3. Use the formula to find the number of neutrons: \(\text{Number of neutrons} = \text{Mass number} - \text{Atomic number}\).
4. Substitute the values for carbon-14: \(\text{Number of neutrons} = 14 - 6\).
5. Calculate the number of neutrons to find that carbon-14 has 8 neutrons, so the atom contains 6 protons and 8 neutrons.