Question

How do you tell if a chemical formula includes both a subscript and coefficient in simple terms?

a) Subscripts and coefficients are the same thing in chemical formulas.
b) A coefficient indicates the number of molecules, while a subscript specifies the number of atoms in a molecule.
c) Chemical formulas only use subscripts, not coefficients.
d) Coefficients indicate the number of atoms, while subscripts specify the number of molecules in a chemical formula.

Answer 1

A chemical formula can include both a subscript and a coefficient; the coefficient indicates the number of molecules, while the subscript specifies the number of atoms in a molecule.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine if a chemical formula includes both a subscript and a coefficient, it is important to understand their specific roles in chemical equations. A coefficient is a number placed in front of a chemical formula and indicates the number of molecules or formula units involved in a reaction.


On the other hand, a subscript is a small number written directly after a chemical symbol within a formula that specifies the number of atoms of the element in one molecule of the compound. For example, in the formula 2H2O, '2' is the coefficient which tells us there are two molecules of water, while the subscript '2' tells us each water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms.

Given the options provided, the correct answer to tell if a chemical formula includes both a subscript and a coefficient is:

b) A coefficient indicates the number of molecules, while a subscript specifies the number of atoms in a molecule.