Video Transcript
Which of the following particle
diagrams shows the law of conservation of mass being preserved?
The law of conservation of mass
states that mass cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction. To answer this question, we need to
determine which of the particle diagrams shows the law of conservation of mass being
preserved. Each of the particle diagrams
represents a chemical reaction. The left-hand side of the arrow
represents the reactants, and the right-hand side of the arrow represents the
products. In order for the law of
conservation of mass to be preserved, the mass of the reactants must equal the mass
of the products as mass cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical
reaction.
Since we don’t know the mass of the
particles, we’ll have to look at this question another way. Instead of comparing the masses of
the particles, we’ll compare the number and type of particles on each side of the
arrow. If the number and type of particles
are the same on both sides of the arrow, then the law of conservation of mass is
preserved. Let’s go through each of the answer
choices, counting the number of orange, blue, red, and white particles on each side
of the arrow.
In answer choice (A), there’s one
orange particle, one blue particle, three red particles, and one white particle on
the left-hand side of the arrow. On the right-hand side of the
arrow, there’s one orange particle, two blue particles, six red particles, and one
white particle. There’s the same number of orange
and white particles on both sides of the arrow, but the number of blue and red
particles is not the same. So this particle diagram does not
show the law of conservation of mass being preserved and cannot be the answer to the
question.
In answer choice (B), there are the
same number of orange, blue, and red particles on both sides of the arrow. But there are two white particles
on the left-hand side of the arrow and no white particles on the right-hand side of
the arrow. This means that answer choice (B)
cannot be the answer to the question.
In answer choice (C), there’s the
same number of all of the particles on both sides of the equation except for the
white particles. Once again, the diagram does not
show the law of conservation of mass being preserved.
In answer choice (D), we see one
orange particle, two blue particles, six red particles, and two white particles on
both sides of the arrow. The number and type of particles
are the same on both sides of the arrow. So this diagram does show the law
of conservation of mass being preserved. But to be sure that this is the
correct answer, let’s take a look at answer choice (E).
In answer choice (E), the number of
orange, blue, and red particles is the same on both sides of the arrow, but the
number of white particles is different. Therefore, this diagram does not
show the law of conservation of mass being preserved.
In conclusion, the particle diagram
that shows the law of conservation of mass being preserved is the diagram shown in
answer choice (D).
