Analogies for Analysis 1-Chemistry/Atomic Structure
This week, I’ve started a new challenge, namely VCE(Year 11+12), and I’ve wondered, how am I going to remember the key science, math and even English concepts. How about analogies, simple comparisons of science and real-world life concepts?
For instance, in Chemistry this week, we learnt about atomic structure, electron configuration and trends in the periodic table. So I’d like to start with the lesson that “You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover”.
Let’s consider a person , the atom. Throughout history, the model of an atom has changed. As in the early 1800’s, John Dalton believed that the atom was just an invisible ball — we knew very little about the atom. This can be compared to a base-line understanding of a person, we were once nothing, but could also be interpreted as not knowing anything about others. So you’re likely making outlandish presumptions about this person. This is only the cover of the atom, and as scientists figured out, there is a lot to figure out within this seemingly insignificant small particle.
Then in the late 1800’s JJ Thomson discovered the electron, with a cathode ray experiment. This showed that an atom wasn’t just a ball, it was a ball that floated with negatively charged particles(electrons) evenly spaced apart. I guess this is the first chapter of the book, that all people have some scale of inherent selfishness(electrons) scattered throughout us. The first building block of human character.
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Shortly afterwards, Rutherford found a light amongst the darkness(quite literally) when he did the gold foil experiment and found out that the atom was mainly empty space, with electrons orbiting around a positively charged nucleus. A second component of a human, with the positivity attracting the negativity to the nucleus, staying stable.
Then after that, we had two more amazing discoveries. The first from Bohr. Bohr proposed that electrons in fact, don’t just orbit the nucleus randomly, but in fact in a fixed order of shells around the nucleus. This discrete shell structure is another aspect of human life, and how struggles and successes are organised into levels of importance. With the more important successes more grounded near the nucleus, with the less important struggles put towards the valence shell, ready to be ionised away.
Last but not least, Schrödinger found the most complete model of an atom. Compiled with not only the shells Bohr discovered, but also sub shells, deepening our understanding of the atomic model to a quantum physical level. This is the complete person. A positively focused person, who has electrons and negative feelings attracted towards it, but where some electrons pull more than others. This is the complete person.
So, when making a judgement of a person, think of them like an atom. How much do you actually know about this person? To an atomic level, or deeper, maybe a subatomic level, or a quantum physical level.
If they’re struggling, how can you help? Well maybe they’re missing an electron, or an extra electron. Ask the question, give or take the electron to/away from them, help them be more strange.
Analogies for Analysis- Chemistry/Atomic Structure
