Chemistry: Week 3 - Isotopes and Atomic Mass

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to isotopes, atomic number, mass number, and atomic mass as presented in Week 3 lecture notes.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element which have the same atomic number but different mass numbers.

Atomic Number

The number of protons in an atom, which identifies an element.

Mass Number

The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus.

Nuclear Symbol (Isotope Representation)

A representation of an isotope with the mass number in the upper left corner and the atomic number in the lower left corner of the element symbol.

Atomic Mass

The weighted average mass of all naturally occurring isotopes of an element, listed below the symbol on the periodic table.

Element Identification

An element is identified by the number of protons (atomic number) in its nucleus.