The atomic mass (ma) is the mass of an atomic particle, sub-atomic

particle, or molecule. It is commonly expressed in unified atomic mass

units (u) where by international agreement, 1 unified atomic mass unit is
defined as 1/12 of the mass of a single carbon-12 atom (at rest). For
atoms, the protons and neutrons of the nucleus account for almost all of
the mass, and the atomic mass measured in u has nearly the same value
as the mass number. When divided by unified atomic mass units or
daltons to form a pure number ratio, the atomic mass of an atom
becomes a dimensionless number called the relative isotopic mass (see
section below). Thus, the atomic mass of a carbon-12 atom is 12 u or 12
daltons (Da), but the relative isotopic mass of a carbon-12 atom is simply
12. The atomic mass or relative isotopic mass refers to the mass of a
single particle, and is fundamentally different from the quantities
elemental atomic weight (also called "relative atomic mass") and
standard atomic weight, both of which refer to averages (mathematical
means) of naturally-occurring atomic mass values for samples of
elements. Most elements have more than one stable nuclide; for those
elements, such an average depends on the mix of nuclides present,
which may vary to some limited extent depending on the source of the
sample, as each nuclide has a different mass.
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13.
If nature had only gravitational and electrical forces, the ones we
encounter in daily life, a nucleus with multiple protons would blow itself
apart: the electrical forces pushing the protons away from each other
would be millions of millions of millions of times stronger than any
gravitational forces pulling them together. So some other force must
provide an attraction even stronger than the electrical repulsion. This
force is the strong nuclear force — though only a shadow of its true
power will be visible in the structure of the nucleus. When we study the
structure of protons and neutrons themselves, then we will see the true
capabilities of the strong nuclear force. The nuclear force is powerfully
attractive between nucleons at distances of about 1 femtometer (fm, or
1.0 × 10^−15 metres) between their centers, but rapidly decreases to
insignificance at distances beyond about 2.5 fm. At distances less than
0.7 fm, the nuclear force becomes repulsive. This repulsive component is
responsible for the physical size of nuclei, since the nucleons can come
no closer than the force allows.
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