Carbon atoms can bond together in straight chains, branched chains, or rings?

Question

Carbon atoms can bond together in straight chains, branched chains,
or rings

Answer 1

You can think of a carbon atom as having 4 "hands" for holding hands with. It can hold hands with 4 hydrogen atoms to form methane. It could hold hand with, say, three hydrogen atoms and one carbon. This next carbon still has three remaining hands to hold hands with. It might hold hands (form a covalent bond) with another carbon, and so on.