The Law of Conservation of Mass: A Timeless Principle

Have you ever wondered why a candle seems to disappear as it burns? Or why mixing ingredients in a cake doesn’t change the total weight of the batter? The answer lies in the Law of Conservation of Mass, a fundamental principle in science.

Law:

The Law of Conservation of Mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a closed system through ordinary chemical or physical changes. This means that the total mass of reactants in a chemical reaction is always equal to the total mass of the products.

Mathematical Expression:

$$$$Total Mass of Reactant   = Total Mass of Products

Examples

Combustion of Methane

The total number of atoms before and after the reaction remains the same, ensuring mass is conserved.

Dissolution of Salt in Water

When you dissolve salt in water, the total mass of the solution remains the same as the sum of the masses of salt and water.

Exceptions

In nuclear reactions, mass is converted into energy (as described by Einstein’s equation$E$$=$$m$$c^{}$$2^{}$E=mc2), so mass is not strictly conserved in such cases.