Questions: Atomic mass has a decimal because it is the average of all the isotopes for a particular element. The atomic number of an element is the number of in its nucleus.
A number of electrons; protons
B mass; protons
C mass; neutrons
D protons; neutrons
Transcript text: Atomic mass has a decimal because it is the average of all the isotopes for a particular element. The atomic number of an element is the number of in its nucleus.
A number of electrons; protons
B mass; protons
C mass; neutrons
D protons; neutrons
Solution
Solution Steps
Step 1: Understanding Atomic Mass
The atomic mass of an element is a weighted average of the masses of all its isotopes. This is why it often has a decimal value.
Step 2: Understanding Atomic Number
The atomic number of an element is defined as the number of protons in its nucleus. This is a whole number and unique to each element.
Step 3: Matching Definitions to Choices
The first blank should be filled with "mass" because atomic mass is the average of all isotopes.
The second blank should be filled with "protons" because the atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus.