What does the law of conservation of matter state?

The law of conservation of matter asserts that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system. This principle means that the total amount of matter remains constant, regardless of the processes it undergoes. For instance, during a chemical reaction, atoms may rearrange and form new compounds, but the total number of atoms before and after the reaction remains unchanged.

Understanding this concept is crucial in the field of HVAC and refrigeration, as these systems often involve various chemical reactions and physical changes. For example, in refrigerants, the same quantity of matter is present before and after the refrigeration cycle, even though the state of the refrigerant may change from liquid to gas or vice versa.

This law is fundamental to both the conservation of mass in chemical reactions and to the understanding of material behavior in HVAC systems, emphasizing that all transformations maintain matter's overall quantity in a closed system.