Re: Fundamental Physical Properties

[PHRP@FHSUVM.FHSU.EDU (Roger A. Pruitt)]

> The mole seems to be a reflection of having defined the kilogram, and
> hence the gram, and then finding that there are Avogadro's number of
> carbon-12 atoms in 12 g of carbon-12 atom's.  It is a fundamental constant
> of nature, but related to the definition of the unit of mass.

> Joe D. Darling   jdarling@emh1.otc.cc.mo.us
> Instructor of Physics and Physical Science
> Ozarks Technical Community College
> 815 North Sherman Avenue   Springfield, MO 65802
> (417) 895- 7295   (417) 895-7249 FAX

It seems to me that the simplest definition of the mole is that it is
Avogadro's number of anything. A mole of carbon-12 atoms thus has a mass of
12 grams. A mole of oxygen molecules occupies a volume of 22.4 liters at
STP. Chemists make the definition of a mole hard by defining it in terms of
mass on one page and volume of gases on another, etc. The common denominator
is that a mole is a count of something in the same way that a pair, a dozen
and a gross are counts.

Roger Pruitt