Final answer:
The volume of liquid actually used in the experiment, when taking into account a 6.20% error on the actual value of 23.6 mL, is approximately 22.1 mL. This is calculated by subtracting the error quantity from the actual value, leading to answer option C.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the actual volume used in the experiment, we need to calculate the magnitude of the error from the percentage given and the actual volume. We are told that the actual value is 23.6 mL and there's a 6.20% error in the measurement.
First, we calculate 6.20% of 23.6 mL:
- 0.0620 × 23.6 mL = 1.4632 mL
Next, we determine whether to add or subtract this error from the actual value. Since an error means the measurement is off by that amount, we either measured too much or too little. If the calculated measurement was more than the actual volume, then the actual measurement used in the experiment was less than what was reported. Conversely, if the calculated measurement was less, then more was actually used.
Given that we're looking for how much was actually used, and not what was reported, we need to add the error to the actual value if the calculation was less and subtract if it was more. However, the question does not specify this, so we will assume that the student measured too much (an overestimation), and therefore we subtract the error:
- 23.6 mL - 1.4632 mL ≈ 22.1 mL
Thus, the volume of liquid that was actually used in the experiment is approximately 22.1 mL, which corresponds to option C.