A chemist investigated the rate of decomposition of calcium carbonate by reacting it with excess hydrochloric acid in an open conical flask. The decrease in mass of the flask and its contents, representing the escaped carbon dioxide gas, was recorded after 5 minutes. The experiment was repeated five times under identical conditions.
The recorded mass decreases were:
Determine the range of all five recorded mass decreases.
Calculate the mean mass loss of the flask and its contents, ensuring you identify and exclude the anomalous result from your calculation.