A copper wire is made of copper (Cu) atoms. Which of the following best describes the copper atoms?

A.

They are all exactly the same.

B.

They each have different numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

C.

They are all basically the same, but the number of neutrons could vary.

D.

They would be mostly the same, but some would have more protons than others

Answer: They are all basically the same, but the number of neutrons could vary.

Explanation: The atoms of an element are basically alike. However, atoms of the same element can have different numbers of neutrons and electrons. The number of protons is always the same for atoms of the same element.

Answer: Option (A) is the correct answer.

Explanation:

An element is defined as a substance that contains atoms of same type.

As copper wire is a substance that is made up of only atoms of copper. And, all these atoms of copper will be the same. Hence, it is an element.

This means that all the atoms of copper will have same number of protons, neutrons and electrons.

Thus, we can conclude that the statement they are all exactly the same best describes the copper atoms.