Question

During an investigation, a scientist burned 48 g of magnesium strip. After the reaction, the total mass of the product formed was found to be 80 g. Does the law of conservation of mass hold true in this case? Justify your answer based on numerical calculations.

Answer 1

Yes, the law of conservation of mass holds true in this case. The missing mass after burning magnesium is the oxygen that reacted with magnesium, and when factored in, the mass of the reactants equals the mass of the product.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario presented involves the burning of magnesium, which reacts with oxygen to form magnesium oxide. To determine if the law of conservation of mass holds true, we compare the initial mass of magnesium with the total mass of the product. The original mass of the magnesium strip is 48 g. After the reaction, the mass of the magnesium oxide formed is 80 g.

According to the law of conservation of mass, the mass of the reactants should equal the mass of the products. In this case, the missing mass is the oxygen that combined with the magnesium. The calculation would be 80 g (mass of magnesium oxide) - 48 g (original mass of magnesium) = 32 g (mass of oxygen reacted). Therefore, the law of conservation of mass does hold true in this experiment, as the sum of the mass of the reactants (magnesium and oxygen) is equal to the mass of the product (magnesium oxide).