Word equation: Magnesium + Phosphoric acid → Magnesium phosphate + Hydrogen gas
Type of Chemical Reaction: For this reaction we have a single displacement reaction.
Balancing Strategies: In this single displacement reaction the Mg is replacing the H atoms in H3PO4. To balance the equation it is helpful to consider the PO4 to be just one item since we have PO4 on both sides of the equation. This makes balancing much simpler.