Question

The average mass of a carbon atom is 12.011. Assuming you were able to pick up only onecarbon atom, the chance that you would randomly get one with a mass of 12.011 is
a. 0%.
b. 0.011%.
C. about 12%.
d. 12.011%.
e. greater than 50%.
f. None of these is true.
Explain.

Short answer

The chance that you randomly get one with mass of 12.011 is 0%. Option A is correct.

Step-by-step solution

Average mass

The initial step is to find the average mass determination. When A and B have the different isotopic mass of carbon atoms, the x & y have natural percent abundance. The notation for average mass can be determined as,

$\text{Average\hspace{0.17em}mass=Ax+By}$

Formula for the determination of average mass

This denotes that the carbon atoms isotope with mass can be equal to non-existence of average mass at all.

Conclusion about the one would randomly get one carbon atom with mass of 12.011

Therefore, the chance that one would randomly get one carbon atom with mass of 12.011 is 0%.