Question

1. an atom of an element \a\ have equal percentage of isotopes, a - 50 amu and a - 52 amu. what would be average atomic mass of the atom?

Explanation:

Step1: Set percentage of each isotope

Since the isotopes A - 50 and A - 52 have equal percentage, let the percentage of A - 50 be $x$ and the percentage of A - 52 be $x$. And $x + x=1$, so $x = 0.5$ or 50%.

Step2: Use formula for average atomic mass

The formula for average atomic mass $M$ of an element with isotopes of masses $m_1$ and $m_2$ and their respective abundances $a_1$ and $a_2$ is $M=m_1a_1 + m_2a_2$. Here, $m_1 = 50$ amu, $a_1=0.5$, $m_2 = 52$ amu, $a_2 = 0.5$.
\[M=(50\times0.5)+(52\times0.5)\]
\[M = 25+26\]
\[M=51\] amu

Answer:

51 amu