The abbreviation AMU primarily stands for Atomic Mass Unit. It is a unit used in physics and chemistry to express the masses of atoms, molecules, or subatomic particles. One atomic mass unit is defined as 1/12 the mass of a carbon-12 atom, approximately equal to 1.660538921×10−241.660538921\times 10^{-24}1.660538921×10−24 grams
. Besides atomic mass unit, AMU can also refer to various other terms depending on the context, such as:
- American Military University
- Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland)
- Aligarh Muslim University (India)
- Acute Medical Unit (hospital department)
- Army Marksmanship Unit
- Arab Maghreb Union
- Auxiliary Memory Unit
- Audio Management Unit
However, the most common and scientifically significant meaning is Atomic Mass Unit
Summary
- AMU = Atomic Mass Unit: a unit of mass for atoms and molecules, equal to 1/12 the mass of carbon-12 atom (~1.66 × 10⁻²⁴ g)
- Other meanings exist but are context-dependent
