Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q44 (CDS-I/2016) Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) › Atomic and nuclear physics Answer Verified

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: D
Explanation

The statement that all atoms of an element will always have the same number of neutrons is incorrect. While the number of protons (atomic number) is constant for all atoms of a specific element [1], the number of neutrons can vary. Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons are known as isotopes. For example, hydrogen exists as protium (0 neutrons), deuterium (1 neutron), and tritium (2 neutrons) [1]. Conversely, atoms of different elements can have the same mass number (the sum of protons and neutrons), which are called isobars, such as Argon-40 and Calcium-40. Additionally, because isotopes have different neutron counts, atoms of the same element can indeed have different mass numbers. Therefore, while the proton count defines the element, the neutron count is not fixed.

Sources

  1. [1] https://isotopes.gov/isotope-basics
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
100%
got it right
✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

NDA-II · 2015 · Q65 Relevance score: 6.43

Which one of the following statements is correct?

CDS-I · 2012 · Q115 Relevance score: 6.30

Which one among the following statements about an atom is not correct ?

CDS-II · 2019 · Q7 Relevance score: 6.19

Which one of the following state- ment, is not correct ?

CDS-II · 2020 · Q88 Relevance score: 5.95

Which one of the following statements about the properties of neutrons is NOT correct?