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6 September, 22:24

Why are relative atomic masses on the periodic tables not whole numbers?

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Answers (2)
  1. 6 September, 22:39
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    They are averages.

    Explanation:

    atomic numbers on periodic tables are derived from the average value of all the isotopes of the element. So being averages they are sometimes not integers.
  2. 6 September, 22:50
    0
    The sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atom is called the mass number. Atomic mass is never an integer number for several reasons: The atomic mass reported on a periodic table is the weighted average of all the naturally occurring isotopes. Being an average it would be most unlikely to be a whole number.
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