Question

State whether the given statement is true or false and justify your answer.

Statement: According to the law of conservation of mass 'Atoms combine in the ratio of small whole numbers to form compounds'.
[1 Mark]

Answer 1

The given statement is false. The law of conservation of mass states that 'the mass of the reactants is equal to the mass of the products' or in other words, 'matter can neither be created, nor destroyed'.

'Atoms combine in the ratio of small whole numbers to form compounds' is a postulate given by Dalton in his atomic theory.
[1 Mark]