Talk:Conservation of mass

I would like clarification of the use of the indefinite article "a" before a noun that starts with the vowel "o" such as "this is a object" as opposed to "this is an object".

The following statement in this article is inaccurate: "Broader account: In any chemical reaction, nuclear reaction, or radioactive decay in an isolated system, the total mass of the starting materials must be equal to the mass of the products."

In nuclear reactions and in radioactive decay energy is released and the mass is reduced by the equivalent amount

Suggested improvement: Mass and energy are equivalent and are related by the expression E = Mc^2. The quantity that is conserved is the sum of mass plus energy. (M + E). More generally, in any chemical reaction, nuclear reaction, or radioactive decay in an isolated system, the total amount of mass plus the total amount of energy (known as "mass-energy") of the starting system must be equal to the mass-energy of the system during the reaction and after the reaction is complete.