Final answer:
The correct word equation for hydrogen reacting with oxygen to form water is 'hydrogen + oxygen → water'. The corresponding balanced chemical equation is 2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O, indicating that two molecules of hydrogen react with one molecule of oxygen to produce two molecules of water.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct word equation for the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen to form water is hydrogen + oxygen → water. In a more detailed chemical change representation, considering that both hydrogen and oxygen exist as diatomic molecules in their elemental forms, we would describe the reaction with the chemical equation 2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O. This equation means that two molecules of hydrogen gas (H2) react with one molecule of oxygen gas (O2) to produce two molecules of water (H2O).
The process of combining hydrogen and oxygen to form water is an example of a chemical reaction where the reactants are transformed into products through a chemical change. This particular reaction is exothermic, releasing energy, often in the form of heat and light, as evidenced by the fact that a spark can ignite the gases and trigger the reaction, which can be quite vigorous.
For those studying chemistry, it's also important to understand that the balanced chemical equation must reflect the conservation of mass, meaning the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Thus, 2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O is a balanced chemical equation with equal numbers of hydrogen and oxygen atoms on both sides.