The most abundant stable isotope of cobalt is cobalt-59. Its nucleon number is 59 and its proton number is 27. In nuclide notation it is written as yxCo^x_y\text{Co}yxCo.
Write down: (i) the values of xxx and yyy for cobalt-59, (ii) the number of neutrons in a nucleus of cobalt-59, (iii) the number of electrons in a neutral atom of cobalt-59.
Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope. State how the structure of this isotope differs from that of cobalt-59.
284 exam-style questions on CIE IGCSE Physics 5.1 The nuclear model of the atom, covering 5.1.1a Structure of the atom and ions, 5.1.1b Alpha-particle scattering, 5.1.2a Composition of the nucleus and isotopes, 5.1.2b Proton number, nucleon number and nuclide notation, and 5.1.2c Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.