A balanced chemical equation is a chemical equation in which the number of atoms of each element is the same on both the reactant side and the product side. It follows the law of conservation of mass, meaning matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.
Balancing is done by placing coefficients (whole numbers) in front of chemical formulas to ensure that every atom entering the reaction also comes out in the products.
For example:
Hydrogen + Oxygen → Water
Balanced form: 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O
Here, both sides have 4 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms, making it balanced.
In short, a balanced equation ensures chemical reactions are represented accurately in terms of atoms and molecules.