Balancing chemical equations

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What is a chemical equation?

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A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction, showing the reactants and products involved.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

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What are reactants in a chemical equation?

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Reactants are the substances that undergo a chemical change in a reaction, found on the left side of the equation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

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What are products in a chemical equation?

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Products are the substances formed as a result of a chemical reaction, found on the right side of the equation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

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What does it mean to balance a chemical equation?

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Balancing a chemical equation means ensuring that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

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What is a coefficient in a chemical equation?

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A coefficient is a number placed in front of a chemical formula to indicate how many molecules or moles of that substance are involved in the reaction.

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What is a subscript in a chemical formula?

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A subscript is a small number written after an element symbol that indicates the number of atoms of that element in a molecule.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

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How do you determine if a chemical equation is balanced?

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To determine if a chemical equation is balanced, count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation and ensure they are equal.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

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What is the law of conservation of mass?

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The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction; the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

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What is the difference between a reactant and a product?

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A reactant is a starting material in a chemical reaction, while a product is a substance formed as a result of the reaction.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

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What does the arrow in a chemical equation represent?

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The arrow in a chemical equation represents the direction of the reaction, indicating that reactants are transformed into products.