Gelation occurs when a polymer forms large interconnected polymer molecules through cross-linking. In other words, polymer chains are cross-linked with other polymer chains to form an infinitely large molecule, interspersed with smaller complex molecules, shifting the polymer from a liquid to a network solid or gel phase. The Carothers equation is an effective method for calculating the degree of polymerization for stoichiometrically balanced reactions. However, the Carothers equation is limited to branched systems, describing the degree of polymerization only at the onset of cross-linking. The Flory–Stockmayer Theory allows for the prediction of when gelation occurs using percent conversion of initial monomer and is not confined to cases of stoichiometric balance. Additionally, the Flory–Stockmayer Theory can be used to predict whether gelation is possible through analyzing the limiting reagent of the step-growth polymerization.