Question

Why is a balanced symbol equation better at describing the reaction than a word equation

Answer 1

The advantages described below

Step-by-step explanation:

Advantages of a balanced chemical equation versus word equation:

• easier to read: chemical equations typically only take one line and they include all the relevant information needed. They are short-hand notations for what we describe in words.
• balanced chemical equations show molar ratio in which reactants react and the molar ratio of the products. Those are coefficients in front of the species. This is typically not included in a word equation, for example, hydrochloric acid reacts with potassium hydroxide. The latter statement doesn't describe the molar ratio and stoichiometry.
• includes relevant information, such as catalysts, temperature and pressure above the arrow in the equation. We wouldn't have this in a word equation most of the time.
• shows the stoichiometry of each compound itself, e. g. if we state 'ammonia', we don't know what atoms it consists of as opposed to
  `NH_3]`.
• includes states of matter: aqueous, liquid, gas, solid. This would often be included in a word equation, however.