Atomic Mass of Candium

The purpose of this lab is to find the average atomic mass of a newly discovered element called candium. Regular M&Ms, peanut M&Ms, and pretzel M&Ms (shown below) are the three different isotopes of this element. Using a random sample of candium, we are to calculate the average atomic mass to assign to our new YUM-my element!

The average atomic mass that my lab partner, Megan, and I calculated was 1.43g. Below are a few conclusion questions and answers about this lab:

Ask a group nearby what their average atomic mass was. Why would your average atomic mass be different than theirs?

Katie and Nick's average atomic mass was 1.52g, which is 0.09g larger than ours. This difference is due to the different amounts of each isotope that our two groups have. Different amounts of each isotope would alter the overall average. Although we used random samples of candium, there weren't enough total M&Ms to get even closer averages.

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 you answer.

With larger samples of candium, the difference between all the average atomic masses calculated would be smaller. As there's a larger pool of atoms, there is less room for an unpredictable occurrence of a certain isotope. The percent abundances of each isotope would be more similar and the average mass of each isotope would be more similar. Thus, the average atomic mass of candium would be more similar.

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, a random piece of candium would not have the exact average atomic mass that we calculated. This is because the average atomic mass is an average of all the isotope masses, not that of a specific isotope.

You have been chosen to design the square that will be placed on the periodic table for candium. Draw a rough sketch of what your square would look like. Include an atomic symbol for candium (that doesn't already represent another element!) as well as the average atomic mass for candium.