Myslius said:Is there any equation to determine how many neutrons there should be to keep an atom stable? I don't mean mass - number of protons. I mean the equation that can determine an interval of neutrons based on atomic number only and the forces.
The atomic mass, also known as the atomic weight, is the average mass of all the isotopes of an element. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons. Therefore, the atomic mass takes into account the different abundances of each isotope, resulting in a value that is different from the sum of protons and neutrons.
Atomic mass is calculated by multiplying the mass of each isotope by its relative abundance and then adding all the values together. This isotope abundance is determined by the percentage of each isotope found in a natural sample of the element.
Some elements have decimal values for atomic mass because they have multiple isotopes with different masses. For example, carbon has three naturally occurring isotopes with masses of 12, 13, and 14. When the mass of each isotope is multiplied by its relative abundance and added together, the result is a decimal value for the atomic mass.
The atomic mass of an element can change if the relative abundance of its isotopes changes. This can occur due to natural processes or human activities such as nuclear reactions. However, the number of protons and neutrons in an element's nucleus remains constant, so the atomic mass does not change as long as the number of isotopes and their abundances remain the same.
The atomic mass is used to determine the position of an element on the periodic table, as it is a more accurate representation of an element's mass than the number of protons and neutrons. This is important because elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic mass, allowing for easier comparison and prediction of their chemical and physical properties.