How to Write the Nuclear Symbol of an Element

How to Write the Nuclear Symbol of an Element This worked problem demonstrates how to write nuclear symbols for isotopes of a given element. The nuclear symbol of an isotope indicates the number of protons and neutrons in an atom of the element. It does not indicate the number of electrons. The number of neutrons is not stated. Instead, you have to figure it out based on the number of protons or atomic number. Nuclear Symbol Example: Oxygen Write the nuclear symbols for three isotopes of oxygen in which there are 8, 9, and 10  neutrons, respectively. Solution Use a periodic table to look up the atomic number of oxygen. The atomic number indicates how many protons are in an element. The nuclear symbol indicates the composition of the nucleus. The atomic number ( the  number of protons) is a subscript at the lower left of the symbol of the element. The mass number (the sum of protons and neutrons) is a superscript at the upper left of the element symbol. For example, the nuclear symbols of the element hydrogen are: 11H, 21H, 31H Pretend that the superscripts and subscripts line up on top of each other: They should do it this way in your homework problems, even though its not printed that way in this example.  Since its redundant to specify the number of protons in an element if you know its identity, its also correct to write: 1H, 2H, 3H Answer The element symbol for oxygen is O and its atomic number is 8. The mass numbers for oxygen must be 8 8 16; 8 9 17; 8 10 18. The nuclear symbols are written this way (again, pretend the superscript and subscript are sitting right on top of each other beside the element symbol):168O, 178O, 188O Or, you could write: 16O, 17O, 18O Nuclear Symbol Shorthand While its common to write nuclear symbols with the atomic mass- the sum of the number of protons and neutrons- as a superscript and atomic number (the number of protons) as a subscript, theres an easier way to indicate nuclear symbols. Instead, write the element name or symbol, followed by the number of protons plus neutrons. For example, helium-3 or He-3 is the same as writing 3He or 31He, the most common isotope of helium, which has two protons and one neutron. Example nuclear symbols for oxygen  would be oxygen-16, oxygen-17, and oxygen-18, which have 8, 9, and 10 neutrons, respectively. Uranium Notation   Uranium is an element often described using this shorthand notation. Uranium-235 and uranium-238 are isotopes of uranium. Each uranium atom has 92 atoms (which you can verify using a periodic table), so these isotopes contain 143 and 146 neutrons, respectively. Over 99 percent of natural uranium is the isotope uranium-238, so you can see that the most common isotope isnt always one with equal numbers of protons and neutrons.

10 Practical Steps to Help You Retire as a Millionaire

10 Practical Steps to Help You Retire as a Millionaire So you want to be a millionaire. Who doesn’t? You’re probably also thinking that there’s no chance in h-e-double-hockey-sticks that you could ever reach that stage by your retirement- at least not in your current job. But there are ways. And plenty of strategies you can employ to set yourself up to retire with that kind of cash. It won’t work for everyone, but at least if you follow these steps, you’ll have saved enough for your retirement.1. Save your money.It’s the simplest advice out there- and the hardest to follow. But if you put aside 20% of your earnings every year (even if you only make $40k) and put that into a 401(k), a combination of factors including investment, compound interest, matching funds, etc. nets you in the seven digits. 401(k)s are also typically protected from creditors in financial catastrophe. $10k a year (which would really only require you to save $5,760) can grow outrageously if invested wisely and you don’ t take anything out of your account until you’re over 70.2. Quit your vices.Millionaires are far less likely to smoke, be overweight and unhealthy, etc. This is because a) smoking is expensive, and b) so is poor health. Start eating quality food and taking care of yourself and you’ll last long enough to enjoy the money you save.3. Get married (and stay married).If this kind of commitment is in the cards for you, there can be significant financial benefits to matrimony. Two incomes. One set of expenses. Tax breaks. You do the math.4. Learn about the tax code.The tax code is the best pal of the rich. Learn about the stepped up basis loophole and learn how to factor deferred liabilities into your tax model. Once you know the rules and how they’re written, you can figure out how to exploit them for your gain.5. Think outside the box.There is no one way to accumulate wealth. And if there were, it probably wouldn’t be salaried or wage employment. The top 1% of households in this country spend only about half their time selling their time for money. Think about business ownership opportunities, personal investment, real estate, mutual funds, stocks, securities, etc.6. Geek out on finance.There are tons of resources out there for how you can make wealth happen for yourself. Learn about all of them: accounts and markets, entrepreneurship, etc. Read blogs and books about money management. Make a program that works for you and stick with it. In 50 years, you’ll be thrilled you did.7. Be prepared for the worst.Crises and emergencies do happen. Prepare yourself for this, rather than getting caught by surprise. Don’t let setbacks negatively impact your saving efforts. Have a rainy day fund to prepare in advance for setbacks.8. Save more as you are able.Once you start earning more, bump the amount you save from month to month. This will help the amount you’re hoarding to spiral into fatter and fatter sums. And don’t aut omatically increase your spending when you start earning more.9. Get/stay out of debt.Debt is not your friend. Make sure you stay as liquid and free from pesky interest rates as possible.10. Be patient.You won’t become a millionaire overnight. But you can start chipping away at a brighter financial future. It just takes making a plan, setting a goal, and sticking to it.