Final answer:
Scientists use chemical formulas to represent elements and compounds involved in chemical reactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Scientists use chemical formulas to represent the elements and compounds that are either broken apart or created during chemical reactions. A chemical formula uses symbols to represent elements and numbers to represent the number of atoms of each element in a molecule. For example, the chemical formula H2O represents water, where H stands for hydrogen and O stands for oxygen.
Learn more about Representation of elements and compounds in chemical reactions