Final answer:
To calculate the relative abundance of each isotope, you can set up equations using the atomic masses and solve for the unknowns. For this case, the relative abundance of m-96 is 96% and the relative abundance of m-95 is 4%.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the relative abundance of each isotope, you need to use the atomic mass and the isotopic masses. Let's assume the atomic mass of the unknown element is 95.96 amu. We have two isotopes: m-96 and m-95. Let x represent the relative abundance of m-96 and y represent the relative abundance of m-95.
Since the atomic mass of m-96 is 96 amu and the atomic mass of m-95 is 95 amu, we can set up the following equation:
x * 96 + y * 95 = 95.96
We also know that x + y = 1 (since the sum of the relative abundances should be 100%).
Using these two equations, we can solve for x and y. Substituting the value of y from the second equation into the first equation gives us:
x * 96 + (1 - x) * 95 = 95.96
Simplifying the equation, we get:
96x + 95 - 95x = 95.96
Combining like terms, we get:
x = 0.96
Since x represents the relative abundance of m-96, the relative abundance of m-96 is 0.96 or 96%. Similarly, the relative abundance of m-95 is 1 - x = 0.04 or 4%.