PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Investigating student understanding of rate constants in chemical kinetics: When is a constant “constant”?
Page: 840
The concept of rate constants is important for developing a deep understanding of chemical kinetics, an area of chemistry that models the rates of reactions. Reaction rates are modeled mathematically, typically using an equation called a “rate law”. One of the terms in this equation, the rate constant, embodies important variables that affect rate, such as temperature-dependence, Our primary research focus in this work is investigating the question: How do students reason about rate constants in chemical kinetics? Preliminary analysis reveals that students often conflate ideas from chemical kinetics and equilibrium, such as rate constants and equilibrium constants. Furthermore, students demonstrated varying levels of sophistication regarding the distinction and relationship between rate and rate constants. Finally, students conveyed different ideas about the mathematical nature of the rate constant quantity.