Mass number is the average of all the naturally occurring isotopes of that element. When calculated, this average is not a whole number.
There is no average atomic number. The atomic number of an element is the number of protons in the nuclei of its atoms. It is a whole and finite number. The elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number on the periodic table.
The atomic number refers to the number of protons in the atom. Since the proton cannot be an in-between number, the atomic number will have to be a whole number. On the other hand, the atomic mass does not have to be a whole number because it is the mass of an atom and is roughly equivalent to the number of protons plus the average number of neutrons in that particular element.
To determine the average number of neutrons in an element using the periodic table, first locate the element's atomic mass (usually a decimal number) and its atomic number (a whole number). The atomic number represents the number of protons, while the atomic mass is approximately the sum of protons and neutrons. By subtracting the atomic number from the atomic mass and rounding to the nearest whole number, you can estimate the average number of neutrons for that element.
There is no average atomic number. The atomic number of an element is the number of protons in the nuclei of its atoms. It is a whole and finite number. The elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number on the periodic table.
7 is the closest whole number to 7.03.
The average atomic mass of an element is close to a whole number when the element has nearly equal amounts of its isotopes, with atomic masses that are close to whole numbers themselves. This occurs in elements with only one stable isotope or with stable isotopes that have similar abundances.
Look on the periodic table for the element with the closest atomic mass to that number. It's lead (Pb, #82.) Now, for the neutron count, you round that atomic mass to the nearest whole number, which is 207, then subtract the atomic number of 82 from it. 207-82=125. So 125 neutrons.
Atomic mass is the total mass of protons and neutrons in an atom, which are whole numbers. Atomic weight, on the other hand, takes into account the abundance of different isotopes of an element, which can result in a weighted average that may be a decimal number.
The atomic mass of nobelium reported as a whole number is usually the average atomic mass of its isotopes, taking into account the natural abundance of each isotope. Since this average is calculated from the weighted average of the isotopes' masses, the result often appears as a whole number.
The number pi, approximated by 3.1416 is closest to the whole number 3.
The atomic mass of strontium is not a whole number because it is an average value that takes into account the abundance of different isotopes of strontium in nature. These isotopes have different masses and occur in different proportions, resulting in a weighted average atomic mass that is not a whole number.