What's a word equation

Aword equation is a chemical reaction described using words.

A common example is the act of photosynthesis - the process plants use to make glucose (sugar) to use as 'food'.

Plants convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose.

A word equation to express this is:

Water + Carbon Dioxide → Glucose + Oxygen

The other type of equation is a symbol equation - this uses the symbols of the elements instead of the common names:

H₂O + CO₂ → C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂

There is also a balanced version:

6H₂O + 6CO₂ → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂

If you want information on the balanced symbol equations, feel free to PM me.