Final answer:
The chemical composition of water maintains a ratio of 2 hydrogen atoms to 1 oxygen atom, leading to an equation Number of hydrogen atoms (H) = 2 × Number of oxygen atoms (O), explaining the consistent relationship across different quantities of water molecules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The relationship between the number of hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms in water (H₂O) follows a consistent ratio. This ratio is 2:1, meaning for every one oxygen atom, there are two hydrogen atoms in a water molecule. Therefore, the equation that represents this relationship can be written in the form:
Number of hydrogen atoms (H) = 2 × Number of oxygen atoms (O)
For example, if we have 100 oxygen atoms, the equation would give us the number of hydrogen atoms as 2 × 100, which equals 200 hydrogen atoms. Similarly, for 5 oxygen atoms, we would have 2 × 5 = 10 hydrogen atoms. This relationship is crucial in understanding not only the composition of water but also the stoichiometry of reactions involving water molecules.