The concept of determining which reactant is limiting and which is in excess is akin to determining the number of sandwiches that can be made from a set number of ingredients.

Question

Assuming that a cheese sandwich consists of 2 slices of bread and 3 slices of cheese, determine the number of whole cheese sandwiches that can be prepared from  slices of bread and  slices of cheese?

Which of the two ingredients limits the number of sandwiches that can be made?

slices of cheese

or

slices of bread

What quantity of the ingredient in excess remains?

Answer 1

Hi Ariel G.,

If 2 slices of bread makes 1 sandwich, and we have 32 slices of bread, we can make 16 sandwiches.

And 3 slices of cheese makes 1 sandwich, and we have 45 slices of cheese, we can make 15 sandwiches.

So we can only make 15 sandwiches because the cheese limits the number of sandwiches we can make.

And we will have 2 slices of bread left over (excess).

I hope this helps, Joe.