What do you think happens to mass when chages take place?
You need to be more explicit. When mass "chages" to what? The short answer is that mass disappears.
According to the Law of Conservation of Mass, the total mass before and after a physical or chemical change remains the same.
When changes take place, such as the conversion of matter from one form to another, the law of conservation of mass states that mass is conserved. This means that mass cannot be created or destroyed during ordinary chemical reactions or physical changes.
To understand the concept of mass conservation, you can follow these steps:
1. Identify the initial and final states: Determine the beginning and ending points of the system under consideration. For example, consider a chemical reaction where substances react to form new products.
2. Calculate the mass of the initial state: Determine the total mass of all the substances involved in the initial state. This can be done by summing up the individual masses of the components.
3. Calculate the mass of the final state: Determine the total mass of all the substances involved in the final state. Again, this can be done by summing up the individual masses of the components.
4. Compare the masses of the initial and final states: If the masses of the initial and final states are found to be equal, then mass is conserved. This implies that no mass is gained or lost during the process.
It is important to note that although mass is conserved during ordinary chemical reactions and physical changes, there are situations where mass seems to disappear. For example, during nuclear reactions, a small amount of mass can be converted into energy according to Einstein's famous equation, E=mc^2. In these cases, the equation still holds true as the "lost" mass is converted into another form of energy.