Questions: The atmosphere has approximately 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. All other gases, like argon and carbon dioxide, make up what percentage of the atmosphere?

The atmosphere has approximately 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. All other gases, like argon and carbon dioxide, make up what percentage of the atmosphere?

Transcript text: The atmosphere has approximately $78 \%$ nitrogen and $21 \%$ oxygen. All other gases, like argon and carbon dioxide, make up what percentage of the atmosphere?

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Determine the Total Percentage of Nitrogen and Oxygen

The problem states that the atmosphere is composed of approximately $78\%$ nitrogen and $21\%$ oxygen. To find the total percentage of these two gases, we add them together:

\[ 78\% + 21\% = 99\% \]

Step 2: Calculate the Percentage of Other Gases

Since the total percentage of the atmosphere must equal $100\%$, we can find the percentage of other gases by subtracting the combined percentage of nitrogen and oxygen from $100\%$:

\[ 100\% - 99\% = 1\% \]