Final answer:
In chemistry, like in cooking, leftovers refer to excess materials. However, chemistry focuses on the law of conservation of mass and requires that chemical equations balance with no reactant leftover to avoid waste, aligning with practices in fields like chemical engineering.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chemistry studies often involve the law of conservation of mass, which dictates that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical process. This concept, rooted in John Dalton's atomic theory, implies that chemical equations should balance out with the same number of each type of atom on both sides of the reaction. Leftovers in chemistry typically refer to excess reactants or unreacted materials, rather than food.
When cooking, leftovers occur because more food is prepared than consumed; in chemistry, it involves ensuring a reaction proceeds to completion with minimal remaining reactants, a principle essential in chemical engineering and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Thus, the discipline aims to minimize leftovers by carefully balancing reactants to get the desired amount of product without waste.