Which of the following is an INCORRECT statement about isotopes?

Prepare for the Public Health Sanitarian Test with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question offers hints and explanations. Get ready to ace your exam!

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but differing numbers of neutrons. This difference in the number of neutrons results in a variation in atomic weights among isotopes of the same element.

In context, isotopes maintain the same atomic number, which corresponds to the number of protons in their nucleus, and thus share similar chemical properties. However, since isotopes differ in their neutron count, they also have different atomic weights. The statement that isotopes have the same atomic weight is incorrect because atomic weight varies among isotopes due to the difference in neutron numbers.

Furthermore, isotopes can be stable or unstable, and their differing atomic weights is a crucial aspect in fields such as radiology, geology, and biology, where they are utilized for various applications, including dating of materials and tracing biological processes.

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