How to teach moles at post-16

By William Barron de Burgh2023-03-16T07:47:00

Four glass beakers holding different volumes of different metals

Source: © Charles D. Winters/Science Photo Library

Use this explainer to help students overcome misconceptions of this fundamental quantity

Because counting atoms is impossible, we use the concept of the mole in chemistry, which allows us to count atoms by weighing them. But this is a difficult idea for secondary school students to grasp as a number because Avogadro’s constant is so large that they can’t imagine it meaningfully. There are a number of misconceptions post-16 students battle in trying to understand it all. This article will give you the keys to help them overcome their misconceptions and provide you with ways to check their understanding. There are ideas for your classroom, too. So, if you’re teaching moles at post-16, you need this article and associated resources.

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