equations can be balanced by using the half - reaction method. which step should be completed immediately…

Brief Explanations:

In the half - reaction method for balancing equations, after determining the oxidation states of atoms to identify the elements undergoing oxidation and reduction, the next step is to identify the half - reactions (the oxidation half - reaction and the reduction half - reaction). Inserting coefficients comes later in the process, balancing the half - reactions is after identifying them, and inspecting the number of atoms is part of the overall balancing process but not the immediate next step after finding oxidation states.

Answer:

identifying the half reactions