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What is the atom that represents the greatest weight in the human body?
Wiki User
∙ 16y ago
Short Answer:
By weight, oxygen makes up approximately 65% of the human body.
Numerically, hydrogen approaches 65% of the total number of atoms in the human body, but it is probably closer to 63% for most people.
The compound that contributes most to the weight of a human is water which averages around 60% of the weight of an adult.
Accounting by Mass:
The mass of the human body is provided mostly by oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen. Together these elements account for about 96% of the mass of a human.
Add in about a kilogram of calcium in the bones and body fluids and you are up to 97.4%. All of this depends on the particular person since water, our major component, can differ by 10% from one individual to another.
That said, typically the breakdown goes like this.
Oxygen: 65% of the mass
Carbon: 18% of the mass
Hydrogen: 10% of the mass
Nitrogen: 3% of the mass
Calcium: 1.4 % of the mass
Phosphorus 1.1% of the mass
With phosphorus, one has accounted for 98.5% of the mass of the typical human and that will change by a couple of tenths from person to person.
Accounting by Numbers:
Numerically we have nearly twice as many hydrogen atoms in our bodies as compared to all other elements combined. Specifically, hydrogen counts as 63% of our atoms by number, give or take a bit, but being so light it barely gets to 10% of our mass. Oxygen atoms count as 24% and carbon atoms are a mere 12% of the populations. Together, our three basic organic building blocks account for 99% of all the atoms in the body.
Caveat:
As was said above, the water content of the human body weight varieties between 55 to 65 % from one person to the next and being the major component changes the numbers above a little for each individual.
Summary:
Almost 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of the six elements oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus.
Most of the last 1% is made up of five elements: potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium, but a tenth of a percent or so is made up of another dozen or so elements which include those recognized as essential to health such as iron, iodine and fluorine as well as beneficial trace elements like manganese, copper and zinc.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Wiki User
∙ 16y agoProbably Oxygen. Your body is 70% water, and 89% of that water is Oxygen. So at least 62.3% of your body is Oxygen.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoOxygen represents the greatest weight in the human body.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agooxygen
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoOxygen
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What do you consider to be the greates finding in science?
Different people consider varied findings as being great. Some may believe discovery of other planets to be the greatest while others consider splitting of the atom to be the greatest.
Where is the most of the mass in an atom?
Most of the mass in an atom is in the nucleus. The protons and neutrons are about the same weight, 1 amu. The elecrtons are 1/1840 of the mass of an proton. Neutrons are 2000 times heavier than electrons and protons have an equal mass of neutrons
How many elements are in SiO?
SiO2 is a macromolecule. Each silicon atom is covalently bonded to four oxygen atoms and each oxygen atom is covalently bonded to two silicon atoms.
Which is the smallest atom?
The smallest atom is hydrogen.
What is the meaning of polyvalent atom?
polyvalent atom
What electron configuration represents an atom having the greatest nuclear charge?
choice 4
What atom is found in the greatest amount in the human body?
oxygen
What does atomic mass represent of an element represent?
Atomic Mass represents the mass of atom. We use mass of protons and neutrons.
What represents most of an atom's mass?
The nucleus of an atom represents most of an atom's mass.
What is the most common atom by weight in the human body?
The leader is oxygen - 65 %.
What symbol Na plus represents a sodium atom that has lost?
Na^+ represents a sodium atom that has lost ONE ELECTRON.
What do the numbers mean on the periodic table?
On the Periodic Table, there are two numbers for every element: the atomic number and the atomic weight. The numbers at the top of the square represents the number of protons present in the atom's nucleus of that element. This is called the atomic number. For example, the atomic number for the element Krypton is 36. That means that there are 36 protons in the nucleus. If there were not 36 protons in the nucleus of that atom, that would create the atom of a completely different element. For example, if one proton was to be removed from the nucleus of the atom for the element of Krypton that atom will be an atom of the element bromine. The number at the bottom of the square represents the number of particles present in the atom's nucleus of that element. This is known as the atomic weight. For example, the atomic weight for the element Krypton is 83.80.
What do the numbers mean on the periodic?
On the Periodic Table, there are two numbers for every element: the atomic number and the atomic weight. The numbers at the top of the square represents the number of protons present in the atom's nucleus of that element. This is called the atomic number. For example, the atomic number for the element Krypton is 36. That means that there are 36 protons in the nucleus. If there were not 36 protons in the nucleus of that atom, that would create the atom of a completely different element. For example, if one proton was to be removed from the nucleus of the atom for the element of Krypton that atom will be an atom of the element bromine. The number at the bottom of the square represents the number of particles present in the atom's nucleus of that element. This is known as the atomic weight. For example, the atomic weight for the element Krypton is 83.80.
What describes the nucleus of the atom?
its the greatest part of an atom
Does an oxygen atom weight the same as a hydrogen atom?
an oxygen and a hydrogen atom do not weight the same
What do the numbers on the periodic table mean?
On the periodic table, there are two numbers for every element: the atomic number and the atomic weight. The numbers at the top of the square represents the number of protons present in the atom's nucleus of that element. This is called the atomic number. For example, the atomic number for the element Krypton is 36. That means that there are 36 protons in the nucleus. If there were not 36 protons in the nucleus of that atom, that would create the atom of a completely different element. For example, if one proton was to be removed from the nucleus of the atom for the element of Krypton that atom will be an atom of the element bromine. The number at the bottom of the square represents the number of particles present in the atom's nucleus of that element. This is known as the atomic weight. For example, the atomic weight for the element Krypton is 83.80.
Which particles make the greatest contribution to the mass of atom?
The Electron, because it is the number of electrons that really determines chemical behavior.
