Chapter 32, Problem 20TE

In terms of the conservation of mass, describe why comets eventually burn out.

Solution

To determine: The reason behind the burning of comet.

Answer:

The comet burns to produce carbon dioxide and water as their products.

Explanation:

In a chemical reaction by using the conservation of energy, the summation of the mass of the reactant is equal to the summation of the mass of the products.

If the comet enters into the atmosphere of the Earth, then the mass of the Earth would increase continuously by the addition of the interstellar mass, which violet the conservation of mass.

So as a comet enters into the Earth’s atmosphere, it burns to produce carbon dioxide and water as their products.

Conclusion:

Therefore, the comet burn out to produce carbon dioxide and water as their products.