What is the Difference Between Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy?

The Law of Conservation of Matter and the Law of Conservation of Energy are two fundamental principles in physics and chemistry. The key difference between them lies in the substances they deal with:

1. Law of Conservation of Matter:

• States that the total mass inside a closed system, which does not allow matter or energy to escape, remains constant.
• In a chemical reaction, mass is neither created nor destroyed.
• For example, the carbon atom in coal becomes carbon dioxide when burned; the carbon atom changes from a solid structure to a gas, but its mass does not change.

1. Law of Conservation of Energy:

• States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be changed from one form to another.
• The amount of energy in a system is neither created nor destroyed.
• For example, when a toy car rolls down a ramp and hits a wall, the energy is transferred from kinetic energy to potential energy.

In summary, the Law of Conservation of Matter deals with the conservation of mass in a system, while the Law of Conservation of Energy deals with the conservation of energy in a system. Although these laws were initially considered separate in classical mechanics, it was later discovered that there is a strong relationship between the two laws.

Comparative Table: Law of Conservation of Matter vs Energy

The Law of Conservation of Matter and the Law of Conservation of Energy are two fundamental laws in physics and chemistry. Here is a table highlighting the differences between the two:

Both laws emphasize that certain properties, such as matter and energy, cannot be created or destroyed but can change forms or be converted into different forms within a closed system. There is a relationship between the two laws, as mass can be converted into energy and vice versa, as proposed by Henri Poincaré and Albert Einstein in the concept of special relativity.