If you study chemistry at the college level there are two things you should definitely come away with: an understanding of the importance of accuracy and the ability to measure with precision. I have two years of college chemistry under my belt. It's been 34 years or so but I like to think it's still in there.
Funny, though, how just the smallest things can really shake one's self-confidence. Take, for instance, making coffee. It's simple: One scoop for every cup. Or is it? Is that one tablespoon or one teaspoon? Is that a 6 ounce cup or one of the 10 to 12 ounce cups used more frequently these days? And those little measuring scoops you buy-- you can't convince me they're all the same volume. Yet, in spite of all those significant question marks I forge ahead and make coffee on the weekends,
If this were organic chemistry and my wife were good ol' Dr. Hudak I'm not sure I would still be going on to medical school. But I take comfort in the uncontrolled variables above. It's not me. I have the training. I remember the rules. I kinda measure. No. It's not me, it's the equipment!
No comments:
Post a Comment