Question

You are given a piece of paper and a match. The paper has a mass of 2.5 g. You then light the match and light the piece of paper on fire. After it burns, the remaining bits of paper weigh 0.5 g. Does this demonstration violate the conservation of mass? Explain why or why not?

Answer 1

Answer:

No

Explanation:

No. The demonstration does not violate the conservation of mass.

The law of conservation of mass states that mass can neither be created nor destroyed in a reaction. However, mass can be converted from one form to another during the reaction.

In this case, even though the remaining bits of paper weigh 0.5 g while the original paper weighed 2.5 g, the ashes and smoke/gas from the burning will all add up to the lost weight of the paper.

The burned part has been converted into other forms. If the smoke/gas and the ashes are properly captured, they will mark up with the weight of the remaining paper to give the weight of the original paper.