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Why are atomic numbers and mass numbers always whole numbers?


Asked by Nathaniel Watts on Dec 08, 2021 FAQ



Atomic number and mass number are always whole numbers because they are obtained by counting whole objects (protons, neutrons, and electrons). The sum of the mass number and the atomic number for an atom (A-Z) corresponds to the total number of subatomic particles present in the atom.
Just so,
The atomic mass of an atom is the sum of the quantities of protons and neutrons in the nucleus - a whole number. But atoms of a particular element do not all have the same number of neutrons, so a macroscopic sample of the element will have atoms of different weights. The resulting fraction is the weighted average atomic mass that occurs in nature.
Consequently, Atoms of different elements have different atomic numbers. For example, all carbon atoms have the atomic number of 6, whereas all atoms of Oxygen have 8 protons in their nucleus. What is Mass Number? The number of protons and neutrons combined to give us the mass number of an atom.
In addition,
On the periodic table, students can find the atomic mass written below the element's name. The number written above the element is the atomic number, which is the number of protons of a given element. For example, lithium has an atomic mass of 6.941 and an atomic number of 3.
Thereof,
In a neutral atom, the number of protons equals the number of electrons in shells that is the energy level around the nucleus. Isotopes are atoms with the same atomic number but distinct neutron numbers, and hence distinct mass numbers.