Final answer:
The percent composition of the compound is calculated by dividing the mass of each element by the total mass of the compound and multiplying by 100. The compound is 79.88% carbon and 20.12% hydrogen by mass.
Step-by-step explanation:
The percent composition of a compound indicates the mass percentage of each element in the compound. To calculate the percent composition, you divide the mass of each individual element by the total mass of the compound and then multiply by 100 to get the percentage.
In this case, the student has a compound containing 13.18g of carbon (C) and 3.32g of hydrogen (H). First, calculate the total mass of the compound by adding the mass of carbon and hydrogen. The total mass of the compound is 13.18g + 3.32g = 16.50g.
The percent composition of carbon is calculated as (13.18g / 16.50g) × 100, which equals to approximately 79.88%. The percent composition of hydrogen is (3.32g / 16.50g) × 100, which is approximately 20.12%.
Therefore, the compound is 79.88% carbon and 20.12% hydrogen by mass.