21.6k views
4 votes
How do you know which element the little number (subscript) goes with?

User Testuser
by
3.9k points

2 Answers

8 votes

Answer:

The little number you see to the right of the symbol for an element is called a subscript. That number indicates the number of atoms of that element present in the compound. When balancing an equation, you can change the coefficients but not the subscripts.

User Seongkuk Han
by
4.6k points
8 votes

Answer:

you will not

Step-by-step explanation:

the little subscript number just indicates how many of a certain atom is in a molecule... example H₂O... that little ₂ means that there are 2 hydrogen atoms in the water molecule.

there is an invisible ₁ on the O as well. H₂O₁ shows there is one oxygen atom in the water molecule, but we do not show the 1

User Peiblox
by
4.6k points