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What is the law of conservation of mass?
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The law of conservation of mass states that in a closed system (one that does not exchange matter with its surroundings) the total mass remains constant over time — mass is neither created nor destroyed during ordinary chemical reactions or physical processes. In practice this means:
- The sum of the masses of the reactants equals the sum of the masses of the products in a chemical reaction.
- If mass seems to change, it is because matter has entered or left the system (an open system) or because measurement did not account for gases, etc.
Historical note: Antoine Lavoisier formulated this principle in the late 18th century.
Limitation: In nuclear reactions and at relativistic speeds, mass can be converted to or from energy; the more general conserved quantity is mass–energy (E = mc^2), not rest mass alone. In continuum mechanics the same idea is expressed by the continuity equation (conservation of mass for a fluid).
- The sum of the masses of the reactants equals the sum of the masses of the products in a chemical reaction.
- If mass seems to change, it is because matter has entered or left the system (an open system) or because measurement did not account for gases, etc.
Historical note: Antoine Lavoisier formulated this principle in the late 18th century.
Limitation: In nuclear reactions and at relativistic speeds, mass can be converted to or from energy; the more general conserved quantity is mass–energy (E = mc^2), not rest mass alone. In continuum mechanics the same idea is expressed by the continuity equation (conservation of mass for a fluid).
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