Question

Is the statement correct or incorrect? Explain. A) It is correct. The ashes weigh less than the original wood and this proves that some of the mass was destroyed. B) It is incorrect. Ashes look different than wood but the mass of the ashes is the same as the mass of the original wood. C) It is incorrect. Look at the ashes under the microscope. These particles will look exactly like the particles in the wood. D) It is incorrect. Capture and collect all of the gases given off by the fire and combine these masses with the mass of the left over ashes. This should equal the mass of the original wood.

Answer 1

The correct answer is D

According to the law of conservation of mass, mass can not be destroyed or lost, it can just be rearranged in space, turned into energy etc.

Therefore, in our of example the wood was burned and turned into ashes. Even though the ashes weight less than the original wood, some of the solid mass of the wood was converted to gas and energy, so the overall mass remained the same.