When you balance yourself, you distribute your weight in order to remain upright and steady. In chemistry, balancing is a little bit different. Balancing equations requires that elements are in equal proportions. Why does an equation need balancing? A balanced equation is a way to efficiently and accurately describe exactly what is happening in a reaction. It gives chemists information about the identity and relative amounts of substances by using symbols and chemical formulas. In this topic, you will learn how to properly balance chemical equations.

Essential Question

• How are chemical equations written and balanced?