Question

In the process of photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide, water, and energy to form carbohydrates and oxygen. Which of the following best explains how plants follow the law of conservation of mass during photosynthesis?

1) The reaction uses energy to produce a product without energy.
2) A gas (carbon dioxide) and a liquid (water) use energy to produce a solid (carbohydrates).
3) The amount of each element that begins photosynthesis equals the amount of each element that is produced.
4) The amount of carbohydrates at the beginning of photosynthesis equals the amount of oxygen that is produced.

Answer 1

Plants follow the law of conservation of mass during photosynthesis as the amount of each element involved in the process is conserved; they are rearranged to form glucose and oxygen without any loss or gain in mass.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process of photosynthesis in plants follows the law of conservation of mass, which can be understood as the principle that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system. When plants undergo photosynthesis, they use carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and solar energy to produce glucose (C6H12O6), a carbohydrate, and oxygen (O2). The third option best explains how plants follow the law of conservation of mass during photosynthesis: The amount of each element that begins photosynthesis equals the amount of each element that is produced. This means that the total mass of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms present before the reaction is equal to the total mass of these elements found in the products after the reaction. No atoms are lost or gained during photosynthesis; they are simply rearranged to form glucose and oxygen.