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Well, what is the , ##Z##, of the given element? A given element has an atomic number of ##Z##

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Well, what is the , ##Z##, of the given element?

A given element has an atomic number of ##Z##. What does this mean? It means that there are ##Z## positive nuclear charges, and this determines the identity of the element. If the element is neutral, this means that there are precisely ##Z## electrons, and the overall electronic charge is ##-Z##. And thus the net ELECTRIC charge of the ATOM is ##Z+(-Z)=0##, i.e. ##"zero"##.

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