So carbon-12 has a relative atomic mass of 1 (unity) then (viz, relative to itself)?! I'd not give you the one mark! :/synkk said:Homework Statement
Explain what you understand by the term Relative Atomic Mass
The question is equal to three marks, though i don't think I've put enough for all the marks:
The Attempt at a Solution
The mass of an atom relative to one atom of carbon-12.
I would think that's only equal to one mark, how do i get the other three?
Relative atomic mass is the average mass of an element's isotopes, taking into account their abundance in a naturally occurring sample, compared to 1/12th the mass of a carbon-12 atom.
Atomic mass is the mass of a single atom of an element, while relative atomic mass is the average mass of all the isotopes of an element. This takes into account the fact that most elements have multiple isotopes with varying masses.
The unit of measurement for relative atomic mass is atomic mass units (amu) or unified atomic mass units (u).
Relative atomic mass is calculated by taking the weighted average of the masses of all the naturally occurring isotopes of an element, using their relative abundance as the weighting factor. This can be expressed mathematically as: (mass of isotope 1 x abundance of isotope 1) + (mass of isotope 2 x abundance of isotope 2) + ... / total abundance of all isotopes.
Relative atomic mass is useful because it allows for a more accurate representation of an element's mass, taking into account the fact that most elements have multiple isotopes with varying masses. It also allows for easier comparison between different elements and their masses. Additionally, relative atomic mass is used in various calculations and equations in chemistry, such as calculating molar mass and percent composition.