Question

(a) Define the system and the surroundings for the reaction described in this experiment. SYSTEM SURROUNDING (b) If water is one of the products does it belong in the system or to the surroundings?

Answer 1

Answer:

The system is a portion of the universe that you separate to study it. It doesn't have to be a physical separation, you determine the boundaries of the system or a given problem has them determined. A machine, a rock, a room or a person can be defined as a system.

The surrounding is the rest of the universe that is not part of the system. So system + surrounding = universe.

Any products of the system are ouputs, these leave the system and are no longer part of it, therefore they are part of the surrounding.