The balanced chemical equation for the reaction of carbon (C) with oxygen (O₂) to form carbon dioxide (CO₂) is:

C + O₂ → CO₂

Here's why this equation is balanced:

* Carbon: There is one carbon atom on both the reactant (left) and product (right) side.

* Oxygen: There are two oxygen atoms on the reactant side (as part of O₂) and two oxygen atoms on the product side (as part of CO₂).

This equation shows that one atom of carbon reacts with one molecule of oxygen to produce one molecule of carbon dioxide.