Lab 4: Atomic Mass of Candium
Purpose
The purpose of this lab is to give students a better understanding of atomic mass, how it's calculated, and what it represents. To do this, students were asked to find the weighted average atomic mass of three "isotopes" of M and M s candy: Pretzel M and Ms, regular M and Ms, and Skittles.
Results
Our average atomic mass was 1.01 grams. We found that out of our 171 "atoms," 73,68% were regular atoms, 16.96% were Skittles, and 9.36% were pretzel. We also found that the average mass per regular was 0.8609 grams, per Skittle was 2.09 grams, and per pretzel was 2.2 grams. Thus, after calculating the weighted average, we got an atomic mass of 1.01 grams.
1. Ask a group nearby what their average atomic mass was. Why would your average atomic mass be different from theirs?
One group near us had an average atomic mass of 1.23 grams. I think that our average atomic mass was different from theirs because the ratio of isotopes was different; we heard other groups remark that their portions of regular M and M's were not quite as large as what we received. This could also be chalked up to differences in calculating (using sig figs before or after carrying out PEMDAS) as well as simple human error.
2. If larger samples of candium were used, for example if I gave you a whole backpack filled with candium, would the differences between your average atomic mass and others' average atomic masses be bigger or smaller? Defend your answer.
If we were given a whole backpack filled with candium, the differences between our average atomic mass and others' atomic masses would be smaller because with a greater amount of candium, we would be able to get a better idea of what the actual ratios of candium would be; with a larger sample, there is a better and more accurate representation of the actual ratios of candium as well as the actual masses of the isotopes.
3. If you took any piece of candium from your sample and placed it on the balance, would it have the exact average atomic mass that you calculated? Why or why not?
No, if I took any piece of candium from my sample and placed t on a balance, it would not have the exact average atomic mass that I calculated because the atomic mass calculated did not directly represent a single isotope but rather a weighted average of all possible isotopes of the element. Therefore, it is not meant to directly correspond to a singe isotope; rather, it serves as a representation of all isotopes of candium. Our data also supports this; no isotope matches the weighted average we calculated.
The purpose of this lab is to give students a better understanding of atomic mass, how it's calculated, and what it represents. To do this, students were asked to find the weighted average atomic mass of three "isotopes" of M and M s candy: Pretzel M and Ms, regular M and Ms, and Skittles.
Results
Our average atomic mass was 1.01 grams. We found that out of our 171 "atoms," 73,68% were regular atoms, 16.96% were Skittles, and 9.36% were pretzel. We also found that the average mass per regular was 0.8609 grams, per Skittle was 2.09 grams, and per pretzel was 2.2 grams. Thus, after calculating the weighted average, we got an atomic mass of 1.01 grams.
1. Ask a group nearby what their average atomic mass was. Why would your average atomic mass be different from theirs?
One group near us had an average atomic mass of 1.23 grams. I think that our average atomic mass was different from theirs because the ratio of isotopes was different; we heard other groups remark that their portions of regular M and M's were not quite as large as what we received. This could also be chalked up to differences in calculating (using sig figs before or after carrying out PEMDAS) as well as simple human error.
If we were given a whole backpack filled with candium, the differences between our average atomic mass and others' atomic masses would be smaller because with a greater amount of candium, we would be able to get a better idea of what the actual ratios of candium would be; with a larger sample, there is a better and more accurate representation of the actual ratios of candium as well as the actual masses of the isotopes.
3. If you took any piece of candium from your sample and placed it on the balance, would it have the exact average atomic mass that you calculated? Why or why not?
No, if I took any piece of candium from my sample and placed t on a balance, it would not have the exact average atomic mass that I calculated because the atomic mass calculated did not directly represent a single isotope but rather a weighted average of all possible isotopes of the element. Therefore, it is not meant to directly correspond to a singe isotope; rather, it serves as a representation of all isotopes of candium. Our data also supports this; no isotope matches the weighted average we calculated.
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