Why is the atomic mass in a fraction?

Reason for fractional atomic mass: The atomic masses of most elements are fractional because they exist as a mixture of isotopes of different masses. Since the atomic mass of isotopes are different, so average atomic mass is calculated for a single element.

Why are the atomic masses of many elements taken in fractions and not whole numbers?

The atomic masses of many elements are in fractions and not whole numbers because each element has various isotopes that are present in nature, and the atomic mass is an average of all of these isotope weights.

Why is the atomic number of an element always a whole number?

Because protons are units of matter, atomic numbers are always whole numbers. At present, they range from 1 (the atomic number of hydrogen) to 118 (the number of the heaviest known element). As more elements are discovered, the maximum number will go higher.

What is the difference between atomic mass and mass number?

The major difference between atomic number and mass number is that the atomic number states the number of protons present in an atom whereas, the mass number indicates the total of the number of protons and the number neutrons present in an atom.

What is the difference between mass number and atomic mass?

The mass number is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atom. It is a whole number. The atomic mass is the average number of protons and neutrons for all natural isotopes of an element.

Why is the entire mass of an atom concentrated on Nucleus?

All the mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus because the atom contains three subatomic particles like electron, proton and neutron.

What is the difference between atomic mass unit and atomic mass?

Atomic weight is a weighted average of the mass of all the atoms of an element, based on the abundance of isotopes. Both atomic mass and atomic weight rely on the atomic mass unit (amu), which is 1/12th the mass of an atom of carbon-12 in its ​ground state.