The Use of Approximations in a High School Chemistry Course

摘要

Scientific literacy is important for all citizens since science has a major impact on society and allows citizens to intelli_gently participate in debates involving science. An important component of scientific literacy, and a part of the National Science Education Standards (1, 2), is the use of mathematics. A background in mathematics is a good predictor of success in learning chemistry (3). To ease student learning of chemistry, assumptions are used to simplify the content, which leads to an approximation. The use of approximations introduces limita_tions into a scientific conclusion, which is a valuable concept for citizens to acquire. The public should be skeptical (2) and aware that the use of approximations, for example, in the context of a mathematical model, has limitations.