ABSTRACT
Unlike 40 or 50 years ago, less time seems to be spent on the derivation of the formula. This virtually robs the student of any feel for what is going on. Instead, the bulk of teaching these days seems to focus on the application of the formula. Students memorise the formula and substitute values (which in high school examples are often more easily substituted) and proceed with the calculation. The formula takes the all-important role and the basic understanding is often lost. So much so that, for example, two years later, if students were asked, “What is density?”, the response could be “D over V” or they might correct themselves by saying “no, it’s M on V.” Seldom would they even mention the words volume or mass. This is guesswork, and it is this sort of approach that causes problems for students of biochemistry. The expected and proper response is “density is the mass of unit volume (e.g., cubic centimetre) of a substance.” This response is a positive indication of understanding. Students who respond in this manner will confidently divide the mass by the volume, knowingly and feelingly, to obtain density.
