The Law of Conservation of Matter states that in a closed system, matter cannot be created or destroyed. This means that atoms can NOT just appear or disappear. The mass will not change in a closed system.
This, however, is NOT what we observed. We observed that the mass of the substance in our measuring tray increased after burning.
Why do you think this happened? Where did the extra mass come from?
REMEMBER: Energy (light, heat, motion, etc.) is not made of atoms so has no mass.
RESOURCE: Access your online textbook through CLEVER, click to get the blue ribbon across the top of the page and go to the Table of Contents. Scroll down to Lesson 9 Conservation of Matter and select "Extending Your Knowledge: Mass and Matter"
