Choose the incorrect statement about Dalton's Atomic Theory.

🧠 Spotting the False Logic Dalton's theory was built on the laws of chemical combination. We are looking for the statement that breaks one of these fundamental laws.

🗺️ Logic Audit Looking at Option (c): "Compounds are formed when atoms of different elements combine in any ratio." Dalton stated the exact opposite in his law of definite proportions: atoms combine in fixed, whole-number ratios. Water is always $\ce{H2O}$, not "any ratio" of $H$ and $O$.

⚡ The "Ratio" Red Flag Any mention of "any ratio" or "random proportion" in early atomic theory is almost always the false statement. Scientific theories of that era were based on rigorous stoichiometry which demands fixed ratios.

⚠️ Common Traps Be careful with Option (d): "atoms of a given element have identical mass." This statement is true according to Dalton, even though it's false in modern chemistry (due to isotopes). Always strictly follow the historical model the question asks for.

$\boxed{\text{Answer: (c)}}$