what information is provided by the atomic mass?
The atomic mass minus the atomic number = the number of neutrons.
Let's take Sodium
Mass - number = number of neutrons
23 - 11 = 12
The atomic mass is also used in mole calculation of substances.
I'm not sure I buy the explanation by Proch. Proch's explanation correct for "mass number" but not atomic mass. The atomic mass is the weighted average of the masses of all of the isotopes of an element.
True.
Sorry I'm french, so I kinda did a translation from all I learned in french. I mixed up mass number and atomic mass.
The atomic mass provides information about the mass of an atom. It is a measured quantity that represents the average mass of all the isotopes of an element, taking into account their abundance in nature.
To find the information provided by the atomic mass, you can look up the atomic mass of an element on a periodic table. The atomic mass is usually listed in atomic mass units (amu) or grams per mole (g/mol).
The atomic mass provides two main pieces of information:
1. Number of protons and neutrons: The atomic mass is approximately equal to the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus. Since the mass of protons and neutrons is very similar, the atomic mass can give you an idea of the total number of nucleons (protons + neutrons) in an atom.
2. Isotopic composition: Since the atomic mass is an average of the isotopes of an element, it can give you information about the abundance of different isotopes. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons. The atomic mass takes into account the relative abundance of each isotope, indicating how many of each isotope are typically found in nature.
For example, the atomic mass of carbon is approximately 12.01 amu. This tells us that an average carbon atom has a mass close to 12 atomic mass units, which corresponds to the combined mass of 6 protons and 6 neutrons in its nucleus. It also indicates that carbon has isotopes with slightly different masses, with carbon-12 being the most abundant isotope.