To balance the chemical equation \( ___ \text{mg} + ___ \text{o}_2 \rightarrow ___ \text{MgO} \), we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element on the reactant side is equal to the number on the product side.
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Start with the unbalanced equation: \[ \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow \text{MgO} \]
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We have:
- 1 magnesium (Mg) atom on the left and 1 on the right in MgO.
- 2 oxygen (O) atoms in O₂ on the left and 1 in MgO on the right.
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To balance the oxygen, we can add a coefficient of 2 in front of MgO: \[ \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO} \]
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Now we have 2 magnesium atoms on the right, so we need to balance magnesium by placing a coefficient of 2 in front of Mg on the left: \[ 2 \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO} \]
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Now the equation is balanced, with 2 Mg and 2 O atoms on each side.
The balanced equation is: \[ \boxed{2 \text{Mg} + \text{O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{MgO}} \]