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Chapter 1, problem 41, asks us about the a -z -x format of writing an element.
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If you look at the periodic table, you'll see a lot of elements are written in this manner.
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So, let's look at what each of these components means.
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Let's start with x, the biggest and, frankly, the most important element.
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The x in this case is simply the chemical symbol.
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This tells us the identity of this element.
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For example, oxygen, carbon, or sodium.
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Next, let's consider a.
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A is the mass number.
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This tells us how much this atom weighs.
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And it's the sum of the protons plus the neutrons.
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Remember that electrons don't have a high enough mass to count...