Why is atomic mass relative?

Answer 1

because absolute atomic mass cannot be determined

As atoms are too small to measure the absolute atomic mass, mass is considered relative to hydrogen or #(1/12) ^ (th)# of #C_12 # isotope of carbon.

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Answer 2

Natalie Anton

Atomic mass is relative because it is based on the standard unit of atomic mass, which is defined relative to the mass of a specific atom. This standard unit is based on the carbon-12 (^{12}\text{C}) isotope, which is assigned a mass of exactly 12 atomic mass units (amu). Other atoms are then compared to the mass of carbon-12, and their atomic masses are expressed relative to this standard unit.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.