Lyle stirs 5.0 grams of salt into a beaker of water. He then adds 15.0 grams of pure iodine to the mixture. If the total mass of the new mixture is 225 grams, what is the mass of the water?

A.
205 grams
B.
200 grams
C.
20 grams
D.
100 grams

1 answer

To find the mass of the water in the mixture, we can set up the equation based on the total mass of the components involved.

Let \( m_w \) be the mass of the water.

The total mass of the mixture is composed of:

  • mass of the water (\( m_w \))
  • mass of salt (\( 5.0 \) grams)
  • mass of iodine (\( 15.0 \) grams)

We know that the total mass of the mixture is \( 225 \) grams. Therefore, we can write the equation as follows:

\[ m_w + 5.0 , \text{grams} + 15.0 , \text{grams} = 225 , \text{grams} \]

Simplifying this, we combine the mass of salt and iodine:

\[ m_w + 20.0 , \text{grams} = 225 , \text{grams} \]

Now, to find the mass of the water (\( m_w \)), we can subtract \( 20.0 , \text{grams} \) from \( 225 , \text{grams} \):

\[ m_w = 225 , \text{grams} - 20.0 , \text{grams} = 205 , \text{grams} \]

Therefore, the mass of the water is:

A. 205 grams.