Answer: The given element has 8 protons and 8 neutrons in it.
Explanation:
General representation in writing an element is given by: [tex]_{Z}^{A}\textrm{X}[/tex]
where, X denotes the element
Z denotes the atomic number
A denotes the atomic mass
We know that:
Atomic number = Number of electrons = Number of protons
And, Atomic mass = Number of protons + Number of neutrons ....(1)
In the given element: [tex]_8^{16}\textrm{O}[/tex]
Z = 8 which means number of protons = 8
A = 16
Putting A = 16 in Equation 1, we get:
16 = 8 + Number of neutrons
Number of neutrons = 16 - 8 = 8
Hence, the given element has 8 protons and 8 neutrons in it.