Question

what is the first thing the video says you should do when balancing an equation?
start adding random coefficients
count the number of atoms on each side
change the subscripts
add charges to each element
question 6
1 pts
in the example from the video, which element did they balance first in $2h_2 + o_2 \
ightarrow 2h_2o$?
oxygen
hydrogen
carbon
nitrogen

Explanation:

When balancing a chemical equation, the first step is to count the number of atoms of each element on both sides. This helps in identifying which elements are unbalanced. For the equation \(2H_2 + O_2
ightarrow2H_2O\), hydrogen (\(H\)) has 4 atoms on the left (\(2\times2\) from \(2H_2\)) and 4 atoms on the right (\(2\times2\) from \(2H_2O\)). Oxygen (\(O\)) has 2 atoms on the left (\(O_2\)) and 2 atoms on the right (\(2\times1\) from \(2H_2O\)). But in general balancing process (even if this equation is already balanced in the given form), the first step is atom - counting. And in a typical unbalanced form (if we consider a non - simplified initial view), hydrogen is balanced first in many cases as it is often more straightforward.

Answer:

For the first question: Count the number of atoms on each side.
For the second question: Hydrogen.