Burning Paper
Carey crumpled a wad of paper and placed it in a large
glass jar. He recorded the total mass of the jar (including
the air in the jar), the paper, the lid, and a match.
Carey lit the match, quickly put it in the jar, and sealed
the lid. Most of the paper burned. He saw smoke in the jar
and black ashes left from the paper.
Which sentence best describes the total mass of the jar,
lid, paper, and match before burning compared with the
total mass after burning?
A The total mass after burning is greater.
B The total mass after burning is less.
C
The total mass before and after burning is the same.
Explain your thinking. Describe what happens to the total mass before and after
burning the paper.