A student determines the mass percent of sulfate, \(\text{SO}_4^{2-}\), in a sample of solid fertilizer using gravimetric analysis. A \(1.50\text{ g}\) sample of the fertilizer is dissolved in distilled water, and an excess of \(0.20\text{ M }\text{BaCl}_2\text{(aq)}\) is added to precipitate all the sulfate ions according to the reaction below.

\[ \text{Ba}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + \text{SO}_4^{2-}\text{(aq)} \rightarrow \text{BaSO}_4\text{(s)} \]

The precipitate is collected on filter paper. However, the student does not allow the filter paper and precipitate to dry completely before recording the final mass. Which of the following best explains how this error affects the calculated mass percent of \(\text{SO}_4^{2-}\) in the fertilizer sample?