Students are each given a 20-gram sample of an unknown solid compound in a clear plastic bag. They are instructed to break the material into smaller parts by gently hitting it with a hammer. Some of the parts break into large chunks and some look like a fine powder. Which statement correctly describes these broken pieces of the sample?

Breaking a compound into chunks or powder changes the size of the pieces, not the compound’s chemical composition. Each piece still contains the same proportion of its different elements, so C is correct. The pieces do not necessarily contain the same number of atoms, and hammering does not separate a compound into individual atoms or elements.

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