For as long as I can remember, fairytales always seemed to be a large part of my childhood. One in particular always stood out to me, and still remains to this day one of my favorites: The Princess and the Frog. The story goes that once upon a time, a beautiful princess came upon a talking frog in a forest. The frog promised the princess that if she kissed him he would turn into a prince. As the story has been passed down from generation to generation, multiple endings have been written to finish the story. In one, the frog turns into a handsome prince and he and the the princess live happily ever after. In another, the princess kisses the frog and nothing happens. Although I myself have never kissed a frog (nor do I have any intentions of doing so in the future), I always used to wonder what would happen if someone tried to kiss a frog. My hypothesis: nothing will happen, the frog will remain a frog.

But how could this be? Was my entire childhood a lie? Actually, there is a scientific explanation as to why my dreams of meeting a frog prince will never come true. This is based on The Law of Conservation of Matter. Scientifically speaking, “The Law of Conservation of Matter states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction” (Chemistry Interactive: Conservation of Matter). This being said, the figurative princess portrayed in the fairytale may believe there is a spark of chemistry between herself and the frog, but one kiss is not enough to turn a slimy frog into a handsome prince. Because no matter is created through the kiss, it is scientifically impossible for the mere three pound frog to transform into a hundred seventy-five pound man. (I know, what a bummer!)

Unfortunately, The Law of Conservation of Matter proves that a single kiss cannot turn a frog into a prince. Matter, in any, way shape or form, cannot magically appear nor can it be completely destroyed. After a chemical reaction, “all atoms present before a reaction must be present after. . .and the total mass of a system does not change” (Chemistry Interactive: Conservation of Matter). Regardless of this conclusion, The Princess and the Frog will always remain one of my most favorite childhood fairytales.

Works Cited
“CI_law_of_conservation_of_matter_4_3.” CI_law_of_conservation_of_matter_4_3. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2014. <http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/viningwj/modules/CI_law_of_conservation_of_matter_4_3.html>.

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