Balanced equations are really useful for understanding how chemical reactions work. They show us two important things:

• Reactants: These are the things you start with. They are the substances that change during the reaction.

• Products: These are what you end up with after the reaction.

Let’s look at an example. When hydrogen and oxygen come together to make water, we write it like this:

$2 H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2 H_2O$

This means that two molecules of hydrogen mix with one molecule of oxygen to create two molecules of water.

Think of it like a recipe that keeps everything balanced!