In an atom of 36Ar (Argon-36), we can determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons by understanding the basic structure of an atom.
1. **Protons**: The atomic number of Argon is 18, which means it has 18 protons in its nucleus.
2. **Electrons**: In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons. Therefore, Argon-36 also has 18 electrons.
3. **Neutrons**: To find the number of neutrons, we subtract the atomic number from the atomic mass (the mass number, which is the total number of protons and neutrons). The mass number for Argon-36 is 36, so we calculate:
Neutrons = Mass number – Protons = 36 – 18 = 18 neutrons
In summary, an atom of 36Ar contains 18 protons, 18 electrons, and 18 neutrons.