Chemistry

When $Q < K$, the system hasn't yet reached equilibrium—there's an imbalance between products and reactants. The key insight is that the reaction will shift in whichever direction produces more products, because that's what it takes to increase $Q$ until it matches $K$. Think of $Q$ as the system's "current score" and $K$ as the "target score": if you're below target, you need to move forward (toward products) to catch up.

When $Q < K$, the system hasn't yet reached equilibrium—there's an imbalance between products and reactants. The key insight is that the reaction will shift in whichever direction produces more products, because that's what it takes to increase $Q$ until it matches $K$. Think of $Q$ as the system's "current score" and $K$ as the "target score": if you're below target, you need to move forward (toward products) to catch up.