explain why the atomic masses of many elements are in fractions and not whole numbers.
explain why the atomic masses of many elements are in fractions and not whole numbers.
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Thus for most of the elements the calculation of mass value will come in fractions.
This is because they are the Average Atomic Mass of that element.
When an element has isotopes , the mass of every isotope and it's percentage of existence in nature is taken into consideration and the Average Atomic Mass is calculated .
Isotopes are forms of an element which have same atomic number but different mass numbers due to the differences in the number of neutrons in their nucleus.