Balancing equations is a fundamental concept in chemistry that ensures the law of conservation of mass is upheld. This law states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. When writing a chemical equation, the number of atoms of each element must be the same on both sides of the equation, meaning the reactants and products must balance. To balance an equation, coefficients are added in front of the chemical formulas. For example, in the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to form water, the unbalanced equation is H₂ + O₂ → H₂O. By adjusting the coefficients, the balanced equation becomes 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O, ensuring equal numbers of each type of atom on both sides.