What does average atomic mass mean?

Definitions for average atomic mass
av·er·age atomic mass

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word average atomic mass.

Wiktionary

  1. average atomic massnoun

    The weighted average of the atomic masses of the naturally occurring isotopes of an element.

Wikipedia

  1. average atomic mass

    Relative atomic mass (symbol: Ar; sometimes abbreviated RAM or r.a.m.), also known by the deprecated synonym atomic weight, is a dimensionless physical quantity defined as the ratio of the average mass of atoms of a chemical element in a given sample to the atomic mass constant. The atomic mass constant (symbol: mu) is defined as being 1/12 of the mass of a carbon-12 atom. Since both quantities in the ratio are masses, the resulting value is dimensionless; hence the value is said to be relative. For a single given sample, the relative atomic mass of a given element is the weighted arithmetic mean of the masses of the individual atoms (including their isotopes) that are present in the sample. This quantity can vary substantially between samples because the sample's origin (and therefore its radioactive history or diffusion history) may have produced unique combinations of isotopic abundances. For example, due to a different mixture of stable carbon-12 and carbon-13 isotopes, a sample of elemental carbon from volcanic methane will have a different relative atomic mass than one collected from plant or animal tissues. The more common, and more specific quantity known as standard atomic weight (Ar, standard) is an application of the relative atomic mass values obtained from multiple different samples. It is sometimes interpreted as the expected range of the relative atomic mass values for the atoms of a given element from all terrestrial sources, with the various sources being taken from Earth. "Atomic weight" is often loosely and incorrectly used as a synonym for standard atomic weight (incorrectly because standard atomic weights are not from a single sample). Standard atomic weight is nevertheless the most widely published variant of relative atomic mass. Additionally, the continued use of the term "atomic weight" (for any element) as opposed to "relative atomic mass" has attracted considerable controversy since at least the 1960s, mainly due to the technical difference between weight and mass in physics. Still, both terms are officially sanctioned by the IUPAC. The term "relative atomic mass" now seems to be replacing "atomic weight" as the preferred term, although the term "standard atomic weight" (as opposed to the more correct "standard relative atomic mass") continues to be used.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of average atomic mass in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of average atomic mass in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1


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"average atomic mass." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/average+atomic+mass>.

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