The equation for the reaction of carbon with oxygen to form carbon dioxide is:

C + O₂ → CO₂

Here's what the equation means:

* C: Represents one atom of carbon.

* O₂: Represents one molecule of oxygen, which contains two oxygen atoms.

* CO₂: Represents one molecule of carbon dioxide, which contains one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.

This equation is balanced because there is one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms on both sides of the equation. This means that the same number of atoms of each element are present before and after the reaction.