Question

What is meant by saying that the atomic mass of oxygen is 16

Answer 1

If someone tells Atomic mass of oxygen is 16, then it means that One the mass of an atom of a oxygen expressed in atomic mass units is 16 It is approximately equivalent to the number of protons and neutrons in the atom of oxygen (the mass number) or to the average number allowing for the relative abundances of different isotopes of oxygen.

Answer 2

Answer:

Atomic mass of an element is the relative mass of its atom as compared with the mass of a carbon-12 atom taken as 12 units. Hence, atomic mass of oxygen is 16 u means that one atom of oxygen is 16 times heavier than 1/12 of a carbon-12 atom. Atomic mass of oxygen is 16 means that mass of an oxygen atom is 16 u.