Question

Assertion :The mass number of an atom is the sum of number of protons and neutrons it contains. Reason: The mass number of an atom can never be smaller than the atomic number.

• A. Both Assertion and Reason are correct and Reason is the correct explanation for Assertion.
• B. Both Assertion and Reason are correct but Reason is not the correct explanation for Assertion.
• C. Assertion is correct but Reason is incorrect.
• D. Both Assertion and Reason are incorrect.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

The atomic number of an atom is the number of protons it contains. All the atoms of a particular element have the same atomic number (number of protons). The atoms of different elements have different numbers of protons. For example, all oxygen atoms have 8 protons and all sodium atoms have 11 protons. The mass number of an atom is the total number of protons and neutrons it contains. The mass number of an atom is never smaller than the atomic number.