The nucleus of an atom consists of protons and neutrons (no electrons). A nucleu

Question

The nucleus of an atom consists of protons and neutrons (no electrons). A nucleus ol a carbon-12 isotope contains six protons and six neutrons, white a nitrogen-14 nucleus comprises seven protons and seven neutrons You perform a nuclear physics experiment in which you bombard nitrogen-14 nuclei with very high speed carbon-12 nuclei emerging from a particle accelerator As a result of each such collision. the two nuclei disintegrate completely and a mix of different part ides are emitted, including electrons, protons, antiprotons (with electric charge - e each), positrons (with charge - e each). and various neutral particles (including neutrons and neutrinos). For a particular collision you detect the emitted products and find 15 protons. 2 antiprotons. 8 positrons, and 28 neutral particles How many electrons also omitted?

Explanation / Answer

Initially, there is a total charge of +13e (6 protons from carbon and 7 protons from nitrogen), which means there needs to be a total charge of +13e after the collision. Listed is 16 protons (+16e), 3 antiprotons (-3e), 8 positrons (+8e) and 16 neutral particles (0e), so the total charge listed is +21e, meaning an excess of +8e, meaning you need 8 electrons (-8e) to balance out the charge. Hope this helps.

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