A balanced equation is a chemical equation that shows the same number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.
A balanced equation is important because it accurately represents the reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction and follows the law of conservation of mass.
To balance an equation, you must adjust the coefficients (numbers in front of the chemical formulas) to make sure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation.
If an equation is not balanced, it means that the number of atoms of each element is not equal on both sides of the equation. This can result in an inaccurate representation of the chemical reaction.
No, you cannot change subscripts in a chemical equation to balance it. Subscripts represent the number of atoms of an element in a molecule and changing them would change the identity of the compound.