What is the difference between the mass of an atom and the masses of its particles?

Answer 1

The nucleus of an atom contains essentially all the mass. The mass of an electron is 1/1836 of that of a proton.

So, since the nucleus contains both neutrons and protons, and the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons; for a reasonable massy atom, the mass of the electrons will be roughly 1/(2 x 1836) of the atom.

Answer 2

The mass of the nucleus makes up most all of the mass of an atom. The only things outside the nucleus are the electrons. The mass of an electron is ~9.11E-31 kg. The mass of an electron is 1/1836 that of a proton.

Answer 3

Some of the mass of a nucleus is in the form of binding energy, which is equivalent to matter in accordance with Einstein's famous equation, e = mc2. That is why the component nucleons of a nucleus weigh more as separate nucleons than they do inside a nucleus, for elements lighter than iron. Iron is the neutral point in the progression of elements, in terms of binding energy. Elements heavier than iron are unstable to some extent, because it takes energy to synthesize them, unlike lighter elements which release energy when they are formed.

Answer 4

Is this a trick question? I guess it must be since the masses of nucleons that make up the nucleus of an element depends on which element we are talking about.

Simply put, nucleons are particles that make up the nucleus of an atom. Namely, neutrons and protons. The number of neutrons and protons, in the nucleus of any given atom, will vary depending on the type of atom, e.g. carbon, nitrogen or oxygen.

Answer 5

Almost all of the atoms mass is packed into the centeral region called the nucleus.

Answer 6

It depends entirely upon the atom- atoms of different elements vary enormously in mass, each one is different.

Answer 7

Mass Defect.