Final answer:
To find the percentage of silver in the alloy, divide the mass of silver by the total mass of the alloy and multiply by 100. With 58 g of silver and 24 g of copper, the total mass is 82 g. The percentage of silver is approximately 71%, so the correct answer is D) 71%.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the percentage of silver in the alloy, you must first determine the total mass of the alloy. This can be found by adding the mass of pure silver and the mass of pure copper:
Total mass = Mass of silver + Mass of copper = 58 g + 24 g = 82 g.
Next, you calculate the percentage of silver by dividing the mass of silver by the total mass of the alloy and then multiplying by 100 to get the percentage:
Percentage of silver = (Mass of silver / Total mass) × 100 = (58 g / 82 g) × 100 ≈ 70.73%.
Therefore, the percentage of silver in the alloy is approximately 71%, which rounds to the nearest whole number for the answer choices given. So, the correct answer is D) 71%.