The balanced equation for the reaction of carbon and hydrogen to form methane is:

C + 2H₂ → CH₄

Here's a breakdown:

* C: Represents one atom of carbon.

* H₂: Represents one molecule of hydrogen gas, containing two hydrogen atoms.

* CH₄: Represents one molecule of methane, containing one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.

The coefficients in front of each chemical formula indicate the number of moles of each reactant and product involved in the reaction. In this case, one mole of carbon reacts with two moles of hydrogen gas to produce one mole of methane.