do empirical formula's have any practical uses in chemistry?

Question

I know that if you have a sample of a substance with the known elements and their weight, the ratio of atoms of the substance can be determined but what benefit does this provide as the ratio is not always the acutal formula?
Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

When chemical reactions take place, the reaction is stopped when one or more of the elements run out, known as the limiting element or compound. By known there ratio, you can identify how much of each element or compound is needed to product the required product.

Many of the pressure calculations may use the empirical system (bars of pressure).