Multiple Choice 5 points An atom with 8 protons, 9 neutrons, and 8 electrons has an atomic mass of __ M-A=N 17 25 8

## Step 1<br />The atomic mass of an atom is determined by the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. This is because protons and neutrons are the components of an atom's nucleus, and electrons are not included in the calculation of atomic mass because they are located in the electron shells outside the nucleus and have a negligible mass compared to protons and neutrons.<br />### **Atomic Mass = Number of Protons + Number of Neutrons**<br />## Step 2<br />In this problem, the atom has 8 protons and 9 neutrons. Therefore, we add these two numbers together to find the atomic mass.<br />### **Atomic Mass = 8 (protons) + 9 (neutrons) = 17**<br />## Step 3<br />The atomic number, which is the number of protons in an atom, is not relevant to the calculation of atomic mass. Therefore, the atomic number of 8 is not considered in this calculation.