Q

[Nicole Garrido 2I]

K is the equilibrium constant, but what is the purpose of finding Q? Specifically why do we use the same formula and what does it mean?

[Ethan Yi 1K]

K is the value at equilibrium, while Q is the value or [products]/[reactants] anytime during the reaction.
if K=Q, the reaction is at equilibrium
if K>Q, then [reactants]>[products] and the forward reaction is favored
if K<Q, then [reactants]<[products] and the reverse reaction is favored

[I am Sodium Funny]

Q is what the value is, while K is what the value should be at equilibrium. The reaction will shift to reduce the difference until Q=K

[Harshita Talkad 4L]

K is calculated with the concentrations of the products and reactants when the reaction is at equilibrium, while Q can be calculated at any point in the reaction, which means the concentrations of the products and reactants can vary at different times in the reaction. Q is compared to K to determine how close a reaction is to being at equilibrium.

[armintaheri]

Q is the reaction quotient, which is the concentrations of products over the concentrations of reactants, with the coefficients as exponents. K is just the specific value of Q when the reaction is at equilibrium.

[Ryan Troutman 4L]

Q is crucial in finding which way the reaction is moving, whether that be toward the product or the reactants. When we find K we compare that to 1 in order to see whether there are more products or reactants at that moments in the equilibrium state. On the other hand, Q is found at any time before the reaction reaches chemical equilibrium and we compare Q to K in order to see which direction the reaction is moving. If K<Q the reaction moves to the reactants, and if K>Q then the reaction moves toward the products. The most important concept to remember is that we don't compare Q to "1" or any number besides a K value and it's sole purpose is to see which direction the reaction is moving toward, whether that be the products or reactants based on its value compared to K.