One common mistake students make when balancing chemical equations is forgetting to balance all the parts.

For example, when hydrogen and oxygen come together to make water, it’s really important to make sure you have the same number of hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms on both sides.

Here’s how that looks:

$2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O$

Another mistake is changing the little numbers (called subscripts) in the formulas. If you change $H_2O$ (which means two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom) to $H_2O_2$, you’re actually creating a different chemical!

Also, some students only pay attention to one side of the equation and forget to check if both sides match.

So, always remember to double-check your work! It’s a great habit to get into!