In a correctly balanced equation, all coefficients must be what kind of numbers?
fractional
prime
negative
whole
In a correctly balanced equation, all coefficients must be whole numbers. However, the use of fractions can be helpful as a way of finding the correct coefficients. If all atoms in an equation are balanced but some have fractional coefficients, multiply all coefficients in the entire equation (including those not explicitly written!) by the lowest common denominator to get the final balanced equation.