Student Calamity reported a final yield of 50%. List four things she might have done wrong to account for this yield.

Student Overachiever reported a final yield of 115%. List two things he might have done wrong to account for this yield.

You need to tell us what experiment you did and how you went about it.

As well as what you've come up with.

To identify potential reasons for the reported yields of Student Calamity and Student Overachiever, we need to understand what a yield represents.

A yield is usually used to describe the output or result obtained from a specific process, experiment, or production. It is typically expressed as a percentage and tells us how much of the desired outcome was achieved compared to what was expected or intended. In this context, we'll assume that a higher yield is better, representing a better outcome.

1. Reasons for the low yield of 50% reported by Student Calamity could include:
a. Poor experimental technique: Calamity may have made mistakes during the experiment, such as incorrect measurements, improper set-up, or mishandling of equipment. These errors could affect the results and lead to a lower yield.
b. Contamination: The presence of impurities or unwanted substances in the experiment could have contributed to a lower yield. Failure to maintain proper cleanliness or the use of contaminated reagents could result in a reduced product.
c. Incomplete reaction: Calamity might not have allowed the reaction to proceed for an adequate amount of time or failed to provide the necessary conditions (e.g., temperature or pressure) for the reaction to complete fully.
d. Loss during separation or purification: If the desired product needed to be separated from other components or purified, Calamity might have lost some of the product during these processes, leading to a lower yield.

2. Reasons for the high yield of 115% reported by Student Overachiever could include:
a. Incorrect calculations: Overachiever may have made mistakes while calculating the yield. Inaccurate measurements or errors in determining the amount of starting material or product could result in an overstated yield.
b. Contamination or inclusion of impurities: Like Student Calamity, Overachiever might have introduced impurities into the process or failed to adequately separate them. This can lead to an inflated yield, as impurities or other substances are being included in the measurement.

It is important to note that these reasons are hypothetical and should be considered potential causes for the reported yields. To determine the actual causes, further investigation and analysis would be necessary.