Balancing equations

Front

What is a reactant in a chemical equation?

Back

A reactant is a substance that undergoes a chemical change in a reaction, found on the left side of the equation.

Front

What does the arrow in a chemical equation represent?

Back

The arrow indicates the direction of the reaction, showing that reactants yield products.

Front

What is a product in a chemical equation?

Back

A product is a substance that is formed as a result of a chemical reaction, found on the right side of the equation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

What is a coefficient in a chemical equation?

Back

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.

Front

What is a subscript in a chemical formula?

Back

A subscript is a small number written to the right of a chemical symbol that indicates the number of atoms of that element in a molecule.

Front

How do you balance a chemical equation?

Back

To balance a chemical equation, adjust the coefficients to ensure that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

What does it mean if a chemical equation is already balanced?

Back

It means that the number of atoms of each element is equal on both sides of the equation, and no further adjustments are needed.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

What is the law of conservation of mass?

Back

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

Front

What is the difference between a balanced and unbalanced equation?

Back

A balanced equation has equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides, while an unbalanced equation does not.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Front

What is the significance of balancing chemical equations?

Back

Balancing chemical equations is important because it reflects the conservation of mass and allows for accurate stoichiometric calculations.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-5