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

Question

The nucleus of an atom consists of protons and neutrons ( no electrons ). A nucleus of a carbon - 12 isotope contains six protons and six neutrons, while a nitrogen - 14 nucleus comprises seven protons and seven neutrons. You perform a nuclear physics experiment in which you bombeard 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 particles 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 17 protons, 4 antiprotons, 8 positrons, and 22 neutral particles. How many electrons are also emitted?

Explanation / Answer

Two atom nuclei were charged with = 6 + 7= 13 protons

17+ (protons)

4 - (antiprotons)

8 + (positrons)

electrons emitted = 17 - 4 + 8 - 13

= 8 electrons

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