LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND LINKS

Read the definitions and make sure you understand the keywords.

Average v. Weighted Average

Let’s use chlorine isotopes as an example.

The atomic mass of chlorine-35 = 35
The atomic mass of chlorine-37 = 37

Calculating the average of the two masses will be 35+372=36


Use the rubric to write a reflection blog post that addresses the following prompt: What is the most valuable thing(s) you learned about Africa’s environment, and why do you believe this was important to learn? 

From the periodic table the atomic mass of chlorine = 35.3.

While 36 is a simple average, 35.5 is the weighted average.
The weighted average is more useful here because it accounts for the amount of the individual isotope. 

Out of all the chlorine atoms that occur in nature, 75% are C35l and the remaining 25% are C37l

You can see that 35.5 is closer to 35 than 37. The value shows us that Cl35 is more abundant in nature than Cl37.