Final answer:
A compound cannot be physically broken down into separate substances; it requires a chemical change, such as heating or electrolysis, to decompose into its constituent elements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "A compound can be physically broken down into separate substances" is false. By definition, a compound is a pure substance composed of two or more elements that are chemically combined in fixed ratios. A compound's atoms are bound together in a specific geometric structure and cannot be separated by physical processes such as filtration, distillation, or evaporation.
Instead, compounds can be broken down into their constituent elements or simpler compounds through chemical changes, such as heating or electrolysis, which involve the rearrangement of atoms and produce substances with different compositions. For example, when sugar is heated, it undergoes a chemical decomposition into carbon and water, and electrolysis of water produces hydrogen and oxygen gases.