Science Common Sense

157 - What are the differences between elements, compounds, and mixtures?

Imagine you're baking a cake.

1. Elements: These are the basic building blocks, like flour (only flour), or sugar (only sugar). Elements are made of only one type of atom, and you can't break them down into simpler things.

2. Compounds: These are two or more elements combined in a special ratio. Think of water (H2O), which is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. You can't just mix these and get water, they have to be combined correctly.

3. Mixtures: These are when you combine different things, like when you mix flour, sugar, and eggs to make cake batter. In a mixture, you can still see the different parts if you look closely (or separate them if you want).

So, to sum it up: Elements are single building blocks, Compounds are mixed elements, and Mixtures are just different things together.