Seperating Mixtures, changes in Weight

[oray]

Homework Statement

You start with 10.00 g of sand/salt mixture. suppose you end up with 4.52g of sand and 5.9g of salt.

a) calculate the % sand and salt based only on the sand result: "4.52 g sand means there must have been 5.48g of salt"

b) do the same using only the salt result: "5.9g salt means there must be 4.1g of sand"

c) suggest some likely reasons why your total is not the 10.00g you started with

Homework Equations

I've figured out part a) and b) with relative ease, but i don't even know where to begin with part c.

The Attempt at a Solution

one reason could just be human error in measurements, but i don't think that's what my teachers looking for. That is as far as I've gotten.
Perhaps there is some reason why the overall weight of two substances would increase after they are separated?

 

[Fightfish]

You may want to think along the lines of the separating process i.e. how are they separated.

 

[Blueshift5]

There are a few potential reasons why the total weight is not the same as the initial weight:

1. Loss of material during the separation process: It is possible that some of the mixture was lost during the separation process, resulting in a lower total weight. This could be due to spills, incomplete separation, or errors in measurement.

2. Incomplete separation: If the mixture was not fully separated, there may still be some sand or salt remaining in the other component, resulting in a higher total weight. This could happen if the separation method used was not effective enough, or if there were impurities in the mixture that made separation difficult.

3. Chemical reactions: It is possible that some chemical reactions occurred during the separation process, resulting in a change in the weight of the components. For example, if the salt and sand were heated during separation, some of the salt may have decomposed, resulting in a change in weight.

4. Moisture: If the mixture contained any moisture, it is possible that some of it evaporated during the separation process, resulting in a lower total weight.

It is important to carefully consider all possible factors and sources of error when conducting experiments and analyzing results.