What Happens to Matter in a Broken Lamp?

Question:

Lorenzo accidentally breaks a lamp while wrestling his brother in the living room. The lamp shatters into what seems to be a million pieces. What happens to the matter in the lamp?

Answer:

The matter in the lamp is not completely destroyed. According to the law of conservation of mass, matter cannot be created or destroyed. Instead, the matter in the lamp remains the same, even though the lamp looks different after being broken.

Explanation:

Law of Conservation of Mass: The law of conservation of mass states that in a closed system, matter cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change forms. This means that the total mass of the system remains constant over time, no matter what physical or chemical changes occur.

When Lorenzo accidentally breaks the lamp, the matter in the lamp is not destroyed but simply changes its form. The pieces of the shattered lamp still contain the same amount of matter as the original lamp. This is because the atoms and molecules that made up the lamp before it was broken are still present in the pieces after the breakage.

Although the lamp may look different and the physical appearance of the matter has changed, the amount of matter remains the same. So, in this scenario, the correct answer is: The matter looks different, but the amount stays the same.