What is the relative mass of a neutron?

What is the relative mass of a neutron?

• A. 0
• B. 1
• C. 2
• D. 3

Answer: (B)

A neutron has almost the same mass as a proton, and both are about one atomic mass unit in size. Since a neutron is a single nucleon, its mass is roughly 1 on the relative scale used in chemistry (1 amu). That’s why the relative mass is 1. The other numbers would imply either no mass, or more than a single nucleon’s worth of mass, which doesn’t fit a single neutron. In simple terms, one neutron ≈ 1 unit of mass on the chemistry scale.

A neutron has almost the same mass as a proton, and both are about one atomic mass unit in size. Since a neutron is a single nucleon, its mass is roughly 1 on the relative scale used in chemistry (1 amu). That’s why the relative mass is 1. The other numbers would imply either no mass, or more than a single nucleon’s worth of mass, which doesn’t fit a single neutron. In simple terms, one neutron ≈ 1 unit of mass on the chemistry scale.