Measurement & Calculation
Most errors in research begin before any compound is touched, in the arithmetic that describes it.
A number on a vial is not a property of what is inside it. It is one half of a relationship, and it means nothing until the other half is known.
This fundamental is about the quantities involved, how they relate, and why almost every mistake made with them is one of a small number of recurring kinds.
01Two quantities, and they are not interchangeable
Mass is how much material is present. Volume is how much space something occupies. Neither converts into the other without knowing something further about the substance.
Written down that is obvious, and in practice the two are confused constantly, because a container is described by volume and its contents by mass. The two numbers sit next to each other on the same label and describe different things.
This content is for members only
Join ARC to read the rest of this page, and everything else in the research library.
Join MembershipAlready a member? Log in