ASVAB Practice Test

The chemical formula of a compound provides crucial information about the elements present in that compound and their ratio to one another. This ratio is indicative of how many atoms of each element are present in a single molecule of the compound. For example, in water (H2O), the formula shows that there are two hydrogen atoms for every one oxygen atom, which is critical for understanding its chemical properties.

The other options relate to aspects that are not expressed by a chemical formula. The position of elements in a compound pertains more to structural formulas or molecular geometry rather than the basic chemical representation. The shape of a molecule or compound involves information not conveyed through a simple chemical formula but rather requires a deeper structural analysis. Temperature sensitivity relates to a compound's physical properties, which are not indicated by its chemical formula. Thus, the correct response emphasizes the essential relationship between the elements in the compound and their respective ratios.