LIFE SCIENCE

OBJECTIVE LIFE SCIENCE

BIOCHEMISTRY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
An atomic mass unit equals ____
A
the mass of one proton or neutron
B
the sum of the masses of protons and neutrons in an atom
C
the mass of an electron
D
the number of protons in the nucleus of each atom
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -It is a unit of mass used to express atomic masses. 1 a.m.u is the average of the proton rest mass and the neutron rest mass. 1 a.m.u. = 1.67377 x 10-27 kilogram or 1.67377 x 10-24 gram.

Detailed explanation-2: -The mass number of an atom is equal to the number of protons plus the number of neutrons that it contains. In other words, the number of neutrons in any atom is its mass number minus its atomic number.

Detailed explanation-3: -Consequently, the nucleus accounts for almost the entire mass of the atom of any element, which means that a single proton or neutron has an approximate mass of 1 AMU.

Detailed explanation-4: -Protons and neutrons have approximately the same mass, about 1.67 × 10-24 grams, which scientists define as one atomic mass unit (amu) or one Dalton. Each electron has a negative charge (-1) equal to the positive charge of a proton (+1). Neutrons are uncharged particles found within the nucleus.

Detailed explanation-5: -An atomic mass unit is defined as a mass equal to one twelfth the mass of an atom of carbon-12. The mass of any isotope of any element is expressed in relation to the carbon-12 standard. For example, one atom of helium-4 has a mass of 4.0026amu. An atom of sulfur-32 has a mass of 31.972amu.

There is 1 question to complete.