massantalet

Massantalet, often translated as the mass number and denoted A, is a fundamental property of atomic nuclei in nuclear physics. It represents the total number of nucleons—protons and neutrons—in a nucleus. By definition A = Z + N, where Z is the atomic number (the number of protons) and N is the number of neutrons. The mass number is an integer and is used to distinguish isotopes of the same element, which share Z but have different numbers of neutrons and therefore different A.

Massantalet is a key identifier for nuclides in nuclear chemistry and physics. For example, carbon-12 has Z = 6 and N = 6, giving A = 12, while carbon-14 has A = 14. The mass number is distinct from the atomic mass, which is the experimentally measured mass of an atom expressed in atomic mass units and is not generally an integer due to contributions from binding energy, electron masses, and other effects. The notation of nuclides often uses A and Z to specify the nucleus, such as a notation that places A as a superscript and Z as a subscript to an elemental symbol.

In practice, massantalet is used in describing nuclear processes and properties. It influences binding energy, reaction kinematics, and decay schemes. While A is conserved in many nuclear reactions, certain processes like fission produce fragments with different mass numbers. Understanding the mass number helps classify isotopes, predict stability, and analyze nuclear reactions and astrophysical nucleosynthesis.

See also: isotope, atomic number, nuclide, binding energy.