Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
In Mendeleev's table the gap for eka-silicon had silicon ( u) above, tin ( u) below, gallium ( u) to the left and arsenic ( u) to the right. Predict its atomic mass as the mean of the four neighbours. Germanium, found in 1886, has u. By what percentage is the prediction off?
Dobereiner's triads: the atomic mass of the middle element of three similar elements is close to the mean of the other two. Newlands' law of octaves: every eighth element, in order of atomic mass, is like the first. Mendeleev's periodic law: the properties of the elements are a periodic function of their atomic masses; he left gaps and predicted unknown elements from their neighbours.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The mean. u.
Step 2. The error. .
Answer: u, only above the real value.
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