Which term describes the ratio of elements in a compound expressed by subscripts?

Which term describes the ratio of elements in a compound expressed by subscripts?

• A. Chemical Formula
• B. Subscript
• C. Crystal
• D. Molecule

Answer: (B)

Subscripts are the small numbers after each element symbol in a chemical formula, and they show how many atoms of that element are in one unit of the compound. That specific role—the numbers that express the relative amounts of each element—is what the term describes. So the ratio of elements in a compound expressed by subscripts is captured by the word subscripts. A chemical formula as a whole conveys composition, but not the act of naming the ratio itself. A crystal is about the orderly repeating arrangement in a solid, and a molecule is a discrete group of atoms bonded together.

Subscripts are the small numbers after each element symbol in a chemical formula, and they show how many atoms of that element are in one unit of the compound. That specific role—the numbers that express the relative amounts of each element—is what the term describes. So the ratio of elements in a compound expressed by subscripts is captured by the word subscripts.

A chemical formula as a whole conveys composition, but not the act of naming the ratio itself. A crystal is about the orderly repeating arrangement in a solid, and a molecule is a discrete group of atoms bonded together.