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What information is needed to calculate the average atomic mass of an element?

A. the charge on each isotope
B. the relative abundance of its isotopes
C. the number of protons in each isotope
D. the total amount of the elements in the sample or in nature

1 answer

To calculate the average atomic mass of an element, the key piece of information needed is:

B. the relative abundance of its isotopes

Additionally, the masses of the individual isotopes are also necessary for the calculation. The average atomic mass is calculated by taking the weighted average of the masses of the isotopes, using their relative abundances as the weights.