To determine the number of protons in a fluorine-20 isotope, we need to understand a few key points about atomic structure.
1. Atomic Number and Protons:
- The atomic number of an element is defined by the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
- For fluorine, the atomic number is always 9, as it is the element's unique identifier.
2. Isotopes:
- Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.
- The notation [tex]\({}^{20}F\)[/tex] indicates that this is an isotope of fluorine with a mass number of 20.
3. Mass Number:
- The mass number (20 in this case) is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
- However, the number of protons remains consistent for all isotopes of fluorine.
Given that the atomic number of fluorine is 9, we can conclude that every fluorine atom, including isotopes, has 9 protons.
Therefore, the fluorine-20 isotope has 9 protons.
