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Use the following table to answer the question:

\begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|}
\hline Element & Mass Number & Atomic Number \\
\hline Aluminum & 27 & 13 \\
\hline Nitrogen & 14 & 7 \\
\hline Helium & 4 & 2 \\
\hline Fluorine & 19 & 9 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Which element has the least neutrons in the nucleus?

A. Aluminum
B. Nitrogen
C. Helium
D. Fluorine



Answer :

GinnyAnswer
To determine which element has the least neutrons in the nucleus, we need to calculate the number of neutrons for each element in the table. The number of neutrons in an element's nucleus can be found by subtracting the atomic number from the mass number.

The formula to calculate the number of neutrons is:

[tex]\[ \text{Number of neutrons} = \text{Mass number} - \text{Atomic number} \][/tex]

Let's perform these calculations for each element in the table:

1. Aluminum:
[tex]\[ \text{Mass number} = 27 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Atomic number} = 13 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Number of neutrons} = 27 - 13 = 14 \][/tex]

2. Nitrogen:
[tex]\[ \text{Mass number} = 14 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Atomic number} = 7 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Number of neutrons} = 14 - 7 = 7 \][/tex]

3. Helium:
[tex]\[ \text{Mass number} = 4 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Atomic number} = 2 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Number of neutrons} = 4 - 2 = 2 \][/tex]

4. Fluorine:
[tex]\[ \text{Mass number} = 19 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Atomic number} = 9 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Number of neutrons} = 19 - 9 = 10 \][/tex]

Now, we compare the number of neutrons for each element:

- Aluminum: 14 neutrons
- Nitrogen: 7 neutrons
- Helium: 2 neutrons
- Fluorine: 10 neutrons

Among these, the element with the least number of neutrons is Helium, which has 2 neutrons.

Therefore, the element with the least neutrons in the nucleus is Helium.

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