Question

How is the atomic mass of an element calculated?


by taking the weighted averages of naturally occurring isotopes of that element

by dividing its mass by that of the carbon-12 atom

by determining the number of protons in the nucleus

by determining the number of electrons in the outer orbital

Answer 1

The atomic mass of an element is calculated by taking the weighted average of the masses of all naturally occurring isotopes of that element. Each isotope's mass is multiplied by its relative abundance (percentage occurrence), and the results are summed to get the atomic mass. In other words, it is calculated by taking into account the masses and abundances of all isotopes of that element.