rachel and billy are conducting an experiment. the mass of their candle before burning was 7.0 grams. after…

rachel and billy are conducting an experiment. the mass of their candle before burning was 7.0 grams. after burning the candle for six minutes, the mass went down to 5.5 grams. what can the students determine about the results of their experiment?\n\na. the law of conservation of mass cannot be applied over short periods of time.\n\nb. the law of conservation of mass does not apply to chemical changes like burning.\n\nc. the law of conservation of mass was broken because the mass of the candle decreased.\n\nd. the law of conservation of mass was not broken because the missing mass was released as smoke.

rachel and billy are conducting an experiment. the mass of their candle before burning was 7.0 grams. after burning the candle for six minutes, the mass went down to 5.5 grams. what can the students determine about the results of their experiment?\n\na. the law of conservation of mass cannot be applied over short periods of time.\n\nb. the law of conservation of mass does not apply to chemical changes like burning.\n\nc. the law of conservation of mass was broken because the mass of the candle decreased.\n\nd. the law of conservation of mass was not broken because the missing mass was released as smoke.

Answer

Brief Explanations:

The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. When the candle burns, it undergoes a chemical change. The decrease in the candle's mass is due to the wax being converted into gases (smoke and other combustion products) which escape into the air. The total mass of the reactants (candle wax and oxygen) equals the total mass of the products (ash, smoke, and other combustion - related substances).

Answer:

D. The law of conservation of mass was not broken because the missing mass was released as smoke.