Nucleus of an atom has 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Calculate at. no., mass no. and no. of electrons in neutral atom. What is the symbol of atom?

The atomic number is a fundamental characteristic of an element and serves as an identifier for the type of atom. It tells us how many protons are found in the nucleus of an atom. In any neutral atom, the atomic number also determines the number of electrons orbiting the nucleus, since the charges must balance out for the atom to be neutral.
The number of protons in an atom defines the element itself. For example, all atoms with 6 protons are carbon atoms. In the exercise, you can notice that the nucleus has 6 protons, which immediately tells you that the atomic number is 6, thus defining our element as carbon. This atomic number is crucial in organizing the elements on the periodic table and informs us about the chemical properties of the atom.

The mass number plays a significant role in understanding the atom's nucleus and is different from the atomic mass you might find listed in the periodic table. While the atomic mass accounts for the average mass of all isotopes and the binding energy of the nucleus, the mass number is a whole number representing the total count of protons and neutrons in an individual atom's nucleus.
For our given problem, with 6 protons and 8 neutrons, we add these quantities together to determine the mass number: 6(protons) + 8(neutrons) = 14. Hence, the mass number of this carbon atom is 14, indicating its nucleus contains a total of 14 nucleons.

Delving into the concept of neutrality in an atom is key to understanding its electrical balance. A neutral atom means no net charge – the number of negatively charged electrons cancels out the positive charge of the protons in the nucleus. This balance dictates that in a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the atomic number.
Take our scenario with the carbon atom as an example: with an atomic number of 6, indicating 6 protons, we can conclude there must also be 6 electrons to balance the charge. Even if an atom gains or loses electrons, becoming an ion, its atomic number remains unaltered; what changes is its electron count and thus its charge.

Chemical symbols are shorthand to represent elements on the periodic table and in chemical formulas. Each symbol consists of one or two letters, where the first letter is always capitalized and, if present, the second letter is lowercase.
In the exercise, we're told the atom has an atomic number of 6. The periodic table tells us that the element with atomic number 6 is carbon, which is symbolized as 'C'. These symbols simplify the representation of elements in equations and communication within the scientific community. It's essential to learn these symbols as they are universally accepted and used in scientific notation.