Stable and Random

9 October 2013Dave McCarthy

The Chemistry 12 Advanced Placement course can sometimes be a mind-stretching experience. Something as simple as stretching the plastic of a balloon can illustrate the two main driving forces of chemical reactions, randomness and stability. Often, as in this case, these forces oppose each other resulting in a balance or equilibrium. The temperature change when the balloon is pulled and then relaxed is being felt by the students on their forehead as they contemplate the tendency of the universe to become simultaneously more stable and more random. And that’s no stretch of the truth! Mr. Dave McCarthy, Alchemist in Residence

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