Welcome to the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). Our college is a federally-chartered degree-granting institution that serves the United States Air Force's enlisted total force.
Isotopes of an element have nuclei with the same number of protons (the same atomic number) but different numbers of neutrons. Therefore, isotopes have different mass numbers, which give the total number of nucleons-the number of protons plus neutrons.
Isotopes are different forms of the element (they are therefore still elements). For example-Carbon has 15 known isotopes, the stable ones being 12C and 13C. All isotopes for the same element have the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons.This means isotopes have different properties, such as different weights-but are all still the same element.ll isotopes for the same element have the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons. This means isotopes have different properties, such as different weights-but are all still the same element.