The average mass of an atom of an element is given by its?

The average mass of an atom of an element is referred to as the relative atomic mass. This term represents the mass of an atom compared to the mass of one-twelfth of a carbon-12 atom, which serves as a standard reference point in chemistry. The relative atomic mass takes into account the isotopic composition of the element, as well as the natural abundance of each isotope. Therefore, it reflects the average mass of all the naturally occurring isotopes of that element, weighted by their relative abundances.

The concept of relative atomic mass is crucial in understanding the behavior of elements in chemical reactions and stoichiometry, as it provides a standardized way to compare the mass of different atoms and molecules. Other terms such as atomic number and mass number do not describe the average mass of an atom; the atomic number refers to the number of protons in an atom and the mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Atomic weight is often used interchangeably with relative atomic mass in some contexts, yet the term relative atomic mass is more frequently used in a precise scientific sense.