Page 12 of the Study Guide for Campbell Biology, 11th Edition has the following question:
A carbon atom has 6 neutrons. How many protons are present in the nucleus of a carbon atom?
A. 12
B. 8
C. 6
D. Can't tell; more information is required.
The answer given on page 431 is D. I think the answer should be C since carbon has 6 protons.
What type of additional information might be required?
I understand that elements are defined by their number of protons, but maybe there is some strange edge case like a moment during nuclear fusion? Is there a case when a carbon atom does not have 6 protons?