Question

1. add/remove protons, electrons and neutrons to discover what affects the mass number of your ion or atom. click the green plus (+) sign next to mass to reveal the balance, then continue. what did you discover? answer:

Explanation:

Step1: Recall mass - number formula

The mass number (A) of an atom or ion is given by the formula $A = p + n$, where $p$ is the number of protons and $n$ is the number of neutrons. Electrons have a negligible mass compared to protons and neutrons.

Step2: Analyze the effect of particles

Adding or removing protons changes the element itself and also affects the mass number. Adding or removing neutrons directly changes the mass number as they contribute to the mass. Removing or adding electrons does not significantly affect the mass number since the mass of an electron is about $\frac{1}{1836}$ of the mass of a proton.

Answer:

The mass number of an ion or atom is affected by changing the number of protons and neutrons. Adding or removing protons changes the element and its mass number, and adding or removing neutrons directly changes the mass number. Electrons do not significantly affect the mass number due to their very small mass.