Final answer:
The purpose of calculating the average atomic mass is to determine the average mass of the naturally occurring isotopes of an element. It takes into account the relative abundances and masses of each isotope.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of calculating the average atomic mass is to determine the average mass of the naturally occurring isotopes of an element. The average atomic mass takes into account the relative abundances and masses of each isotope of the element. It is calculated by multiplying the fraction of each isotope's abundance by its mass number and summing these products.
For example, in the case of chlorine, there are two naturally occurring isotopes: chlorine-35 and chlorine-37. The average atomic mass of chlorine is calculated by multiplying the abundance of chlorine-35 by its mass number (35) and adding it to the product of the abundance of chlorine-37 and its mass number (37).
By calculating the average atomic mass, scientists can accurately represent the atomic mass of elements and use this information in various chemical calculations and experiments.
Atomic mass is the mass of all of the protons and neutrons combined(electron mass is so small compared to p+ and n0). The average atomic mass of an element is the mean mass of all of its isotopes and percentage of abundance.