Amedeo, Michael, and Charles and Large Numbers Amedeo Avogedro made a brilliant postulation On molecules in gases and their teeming population, Now Avogadro's number, per gram-mol of any gas, Tops six with ciphers twenty-three (we learn in Freshman class). From this, for any state of matter, the poll we e m present Of atoms or of ions, now, per gram equivalent. Charles Coulomb worked in earnest at experiments electrical. Attractive forces he portrayed in laws quite arithmetical. He first made torsion balances, hut he was quite prevented From measuring current strength; no ammeter was yet invented. In memory of Coulomb we now name the amperesecond, By which the quantity of electricity is reckoned. Young Michael Faraday found out, by measuring and weighing, How much of vssious metals electricity was conveying. I t turned out that equivalent weights could always be expected With current steady and when time was carefully corrected. His name now means the number of the coulombs necessary To plate a gram-equivalent of a metal ordinary Or release a corresponding weight of element non-metal. Such processes go on by tons in many a chemical kettle. These great experimenters of electrons never heard "Electron" meant just "amber"; it was a Grecian word. We think of the electron as electricity itself, A powerful, invisible, mysterious little elf. Just one will ride or liberate each monovalent ion While traveling about as fast as star-light from Orion. How many electrons make a coulomb7 We shall try to see. The first thing thought of is, how large a Famday may be. And that is nine point sixty-five times ten to fourth power coulombs. (Regardless of the voltage or resistances in cool ohms.) Electrons in one Faraday are Avogadro's Number. So, by dividing "Amadeo" by "Michael," we encumber Ourselves with tall arithmetic. The answer we can find Is six point twenty-six times ten to eighteenth power. The mind Can't stretch to cover such a sum; and yet we think we know Electrons to that number huge will in one coulomb flow1
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Journal of Chemicol Education
