Here's why:

* Carbon (C): This is the symbol for the element carbon.

* Oxygen (O): This is the symbol for the element oxygen.

* "IV" refers to the Roman numeral for 4, indicating that carbon has a +4 oxidation state in the compound.

* "Oxide" means that the compound contains oxygen.

Since carbon has a +4 oxidation state and oxygen typically has a -2 oxidation state, two oxygen atoms are needed to balance the charge, resulting in the formula CO₂.