To find the atomic mass of an element on the periodic table, locate the element you are interested in. The atomic mass is typically displayed as a decimal number below the element’s symbol. This value represents the average mass of the isotopes of that element, weighted by their relative abundances.
For example, if you look at carbon, you will see a value of approximately 12.01. This means that the average mass of a carbon atom, considering all its isotopes and how often each occurs, is about 12.01 atomic mass units (amu).
It’s important to remember that atomic mass is not a whole number because elements can have multiple isotopes, which are variations of the same element with different numbers of neutrons. The periodic table provides this average to give a better understanding of the element’s atomic characteristics.