Question

1. \the total mass of the substances before a chemical change will be the same as the total mass of the substances after a chemical change.\ this statement describes something that always happens in nature, without explaining why it happens. this is an example of the following?

a) hypothesis
b) inference
c) scientific law
d) scientific theory

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• A hypothesis is a proposed explanation, not a description of what always happens.
• An inference is a conclusion based on evidence, not a statement of a consistent natural occurrence.
• A scientific law describes a natural phenomenon that occurs consistently without explaining why (like the law of conservation of mass here).
• A scientific theory explains why a phenomenon occurs, not just describes it.

The statement describes a consistent natural event (mass conservation in chemical changes) without explanation, so it's a scientific law.

Answer:

C) scientific law