Question

Atomic mass unit (u) is defined as ________ of the mass of the carbon (¹²C) atom.

Options

• `(1/10)^"th"`

• `(1/12)^"th"`

• `(1/14)^"th"`

• `(1/16)^"th"`

Answer 1

Atomic mass unit (u) is defined as `underline((1/12)^"th")` of the mass of the carbon (¹²C) atom.

Explanation:

the average mass of a nucleon is dependent on the count of nucleons in the atomic nucleus due to mass defect, a specific atomic nucleus (carbon-12) had to be chosen for standardisation. This is also why a proton or neutron's mass is more than (but not equal to) 1 u.