title: mySQL unexpected syntax error with "DECIMAL"
body: <p>This is my 5th day learning SQL on mySQL.</p>
  
  <p>I don't understand why the system tells me the following is an error.</p>
  
  <p>My code is:</p>
  
  <pre><code>CREATE TABLE elements(
  Name VARCHAR(20),
  Symbol VARCHAR(2) PRIMARY KEY,
  AtomicNumber TINYINT, 
  AtomicMass DEC(4,2)     -- ending doesn't need ,  similar to SAS
  );
  
  INSERT INTO elements
  VALUES ('Actinium','Ac',89,227);
  -- here we want to modify the field type of the existing table because Aluminum has decimal #'s in mass
  
  ALTER TABLE elements
  MODIFY AtomicMass DECIMAL(9,3);  
  -- Q:   I do not understand this why this is an syntax error.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>System Message: "Syntax error: unexpected 'DECIMAL(decimal)'"
  It runs and changes the field constraint but the error message is still there.</p>
  
  <p>Additional Question(utterly noob question,please tolerate me): How do you put 'space' in a name of a column? Like now I'm using "AtomicNumber" but I really want "Atomic Number."</p>
  
  <p>Thanks! :)</p>